


Is this what heartbreak feels like?

by TheWanderingOne



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friendship/Love, Heartbreak, POV Female Character, Reader-Insert, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 13:59:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7055356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWanderingOne/pseuds/TheWanderingOne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your life's pretty great. You live in a nice city, have in your opinion the best job in the world and an incredible boyfriend. The Achievement Hunter guys are like your brothers and they treat you like their sister. You guys are like family and everyone understands that. Well, almost everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introducing Specs

**Author's Note:**

> Very first fan fic. Hope you enjoy!

Your life's pretty great. You live in a nice city, have in your opinion the best job in the world and an incredible boyfriend. Austin, Texas. Home to Rooster Teeth. Working for Achievement Hunter. Getting to work everyday with the best people in your life, people who you never knew you would come to care so much about. Being in a place where being yourself is encouraged and fakeness is quickly kicked to the curb. Eric, the hunk that you call boyfriend and have done for the past year. Yes, your life is pretty great.

  
It's another monday morning, a burden for most people but not for you. You actually enjoy going to work everyday. You go through your morning routine and are out the door by 8. It's a slight drive to work but it gives you time to think over what game you're going to use for versus. You could aim for the most obscure game that none of the guys have even heard about or go for a completely obvious game and hope they haven't got round to playing it yet. A car honk brings you out of your thoughts and you look in your rear view mirror to spot a familiar looking car sitting behind you. You raise your hand up and flip off the person behind you only to be responded to with a jerking motion. Giggling you continue your route to work, speeding up and weaving through traffic to see if the other car could keep up. You pull into the Rooster Teeth car park, get out the car and simply lean against the car door waiting for the other car to show up. 5 minutes later and you're rewarded with the car pulling up next to yours and annoyed look on the person's face.

  
"The fuck were you doing back there? Since when do you drive like that?"  
"What, did I drive too fast for you to keep up? Has GTA not taught you anything Ramsey?" You grin and grab your stuff out your car as Geoff grabs his and you both make your way towards the Achievement Hunter office.  
"Dude, I can drive like that but in a fucking video game. You could have crashed or...or..."  
"Or not, like I did. Careful now, someone might think you care about someone other than yourself"  
Geoff opens his mouth in shock as you laugh at his reaction and he elbows you gently in the ribs. This only makes you laugh more which causes Geoff to join in. He puts his arm over your shoulder and you both make small talk as you reach the door to the office. Geoff punches in the door code then swings the door open with such force that it makes you take a step back to avoid it hitting you in the face. He looks over his shoulder at you and bursts out laughing, making his way in the office. You follow in quickly behind him.  
"What the actual fuck Ramsey? What you tryin' pull?" Your tone only makes him laugh harder, the others in the room looking between the two of you in confusion.  
"What did you do Geoff?" Jack asks, making his way over towards you to give you a hug, leaving his arm drapped over your shoulder. Geoff manages to calm himself down and begins preparing his computer for the day.  
"Consider it my way of showing you I don't care about you" You share a look which sets you both off again while Jack stands with his mouth hanging open.  
"That's fucking harsh man. Specs, what did he do?"  
"He swung the office door open so hard that I had to jump back to avoid being hit by it. But it's okay, Geoff cares about me" You say with such a smirk that it instantly kills Geoff's laughter. Jack is now the one who laughs and is joined by Michael who's been sat at his desk listening the entire time.  
"Geoff cares about someone other than himself? Yeah right!" You look at Michael who's clutching his stomach from laughing so hard. You can't help but smile.  
"Geoff do you want to tell them or can I have the honor?" Geoff sighs then gestures to you to fill the others in on your morning drive. By the end of the story you, Jack and Michael are in fits of laughter while Geoff is sat at his desk, sulking.  
"But in all seriousness, you can drive in real life like you can drive in GTA?" asks Michael.  
"Sure can, I'll race you to work one morning and see if you aren't a pussy like Geoff" The office fills with 'oooooooo's' and Geoff just shakes his heads and returns to work.

   
It's almost 9 by the time everyone's settled down. Gavin makes his way into the office, falling spectacularly as Michael leans his foot out to trip him and you capture it on your phone. The both of you collapse into a heap of laughter as Gavin squawks and rubs his knees.  
"Really guys, first thing monday morning?"  
"We've been here for an hour waiting for you to get in, hurry the fuck up" Gavin gets off the ground only to tackle Michael to the ground, the brit instantly trapped under Michael's strength.  
"America vs England. Round..what the fuck is this like 200? Anyway, America leads 190 to 10. Can England make a rare win here or will America take the victory? Lets take bets, $5. Geoff?"  
"America all the way, sorry Gav"  
"Jack?"  
"Err I gotta stick with Michael on this one."  
"Alright so that's $15 for America and none for England. And there we have it ladies and gents, America wins by a landside. Suck it Gav!" Gavin taps out as Michael raises his arms in triumph before helping the brit off the floor.  
"I can't believe you all bet on Michael and not me."  
"Well Gav, the odds are not ever in your favour. You owe us $5 each" Gavin mutters before pulling out his wallet and paying up instantly.  
"Well this is a first, Gavin actually paying up". Gavin grabs something from his desk and throws it at Jack, the gent leaning just out of the way for the object to miss.

   
It's now 10:30 and the office is quiet, a few conversations every so often about what the plan of action is for today, what games you'll be playing and general planning for the next few weeks. "Where the fuck is Ryan? Specs, call him." Geoff says, looking at the clock on the wall before getting up to pace the room a bit.  
"Please would be nice but I don't expect it from someone who cares." Geoff shoots you a look as you playfully stick out your tongue, picking up your phone and calling Ryan. "Haywood you get your ass into the office sometime soon?" The room erupts into laughter. You all often use Ryan's last name in this way and it never fails to be funny. You have to offer credit to Ray after the gamertag shenanigans video where he suggested Ryan's new gamertag to be 'HaywoodYaBlowMe'. You miss Ray, you all do but you all understood his heart lied with streaming.  
"Seriously Specs? I'm 5 minutes away, could you be a dear and set up my machine ready for whatever we're doing? Thanks, see you in a bit!" You couldn't help but smile. Ryan calling you 'dear' was humerous yet made you feel special. The guys tear into him any chance they get when he says it in front of them.  
"Did he call you dear?"  
"Jack, how did you know?" You reply sarcastically and walk over to Ryan's desk. "He's on his way and asked me to set up his shit for him. GTA first right?"

   
They call you 'Specs' for 2 different reasons. The first being that you're on the techy side of things. If something goes wrong, it's usually you or Ryan who gets shouted at to come and fix the problem. You pride yourself in being quicker than he is at fixing things which annoys the shit out of him. The second reason being you wear glasses from time to time. You switch between contacts and glasses but when you first started working at Achievement Hunter, you only wore glasses. Because you wear glasses, you tend to pick a character that has glasses or customise your character so they're wearing glasses. Gavin was the first to call you Specs which at first you hated but the more it got used, the more you liked it and now it's the only name you're called by at work. Everyone knows you as Specs but only a few know your real name, something you actually like.

   
"Ryan's machine is fucked again. For a guy who loves pc so much, you would have thought he'd take better care of his but clearly not" You mutter to yourself. The others are setting up their machines ready for the first recording of the day and luckily you had the sense to do yours before setting up Ryan's. "I'm going to sort this out, I don't know how long it'll take but please give Ryan shit for this guys?" You're met with chuckles and 'of course'. You unplug everything then set about replugging things in and tweaking a few things before being on all fours under Ryan's desk to readjust some stuff. You knew this was a dangerous situation you were in, mainly because if any of the guys saw you like this you knew comments would be flying about the rest of the day. Hell, the rest of the month. You brush the thought aside and regain focus to the job at hand.  
"Ryan, when was the last time you had a girl in a position like that in front of you? Lucky bastard."  
Gavin's comment makes you attempt to back out from under the desk quickly and in the process hit your head on the edge of it."Ow! Fuck you Gavin you piece of shit. And thanks guys for having my back. Assholes." Your choice of language sends the room into laughter once more as you emerge from under the desk, rubbing your head. You lift yourself up, using Ryan's desk as leverage and almost falling over the gent who is stood behind you.  
"Specs, what were you doing down there?"  
"What were you doing standing there all quiet? Enjoying the view?"  
Ryan begins to flub his response, clearly flustered by your question.  
"And there is the first flub of the day everyone. And it's only 10:45. It's going to be a loooooong day Haywood. Your pc was fucked so I took care of it. Should run better now. And as I said to the guys earlier, for a guy who loves pc as much as you do, I'd have thought you'd take better care of it. You can thank me later, dear." A huge smile appears across your face as Ryan is rendered speechless and the guys howl with laughter. You walk back to your desk, grab your headset and do final checks before beginning capture. "Specs syncing. 1 2 3, 1 2 3."

  
**Geoff** : "Alright, is everyone in their positions?"  
**All** : "Yep","Pretty much" "Specs isn't"  
**Specs:** "Yes I am, what the fuck Gavin?"  
**Gavin** : "Your position is under Ryan's desk and you're not there."  
_**AH_Specs riddled GavinoFree with bullets.**_  
**Jack** : "Specs, really?"  
**Ryan** : "She beat me to it."  
**Specs** : "Just like I beat you at fixing pcs."  
**All** : "Ooooo."  
**Gavin** : "So I am dead then?"  
**Geoff** : "I didn't say go so no, just get back quickly."  
**Specs** : "And keep your mouth shut."  
**Michael** : "Damn Specs, you're just full of vinegar today."  
**Specs** : "Nahh, just taking some revenge of those who deserve it."  
**Geoff** : "Alright, everyone shut the fuck up. On my count, we start and from that point if you die whether it be cops or players, accident or purpose, that's it. You're fucking dead, got it? Good! 3,2,1 HEIST!"

  
You've taken up position on the roof across the street, keeping your sniper rifle targeted on the convenience store where Gavin and Ryan are robbing the place. Geoff is on the roof of the building next to yours, also with eyes on the door. Michael is in the alley round the back in a pickup truck waiting to collect everyone. Jack is waiting with a plane at the airport to fly everyone to Mount Chilliad and complete the heist. The cops swam the place and you and Geoff get to work, clearing the path for Team Love 'n' Stuff to get out safely. Once they've made it to Michael, the two of you get off the roof and run for the getaway vehicle. Geoff gets taken out by a rogue cop and you all scream cries of "noooooo""Geoff, why?" You head for the airport as quick as you can but the cops have the area covered. Michael launches the truck over the barrier and starts yelling for Jack. Jack is on the runway in the jet but a cop drives into the plane and it explodes gloriously in front of you all. "Damn it!" "Jack, noo". You spot a titan and direct Michael to the hanger where the aircraft is sitting. As you jump out of the car, Michael is killed before he can hit Y on his controller. "Alright boys, it's just us 3" You say as you turn your weapon on Gavin and fire away. The brit cries out but it's all in vain. "Make that 2 of us". You and Ryan climb into the titan and make it out of the airport cleanly. 5 minutes later and you land perfectly on top of Mount Chilliad, just as the sun begins to set. You both climb up to the roof of the cable car station and stare out at the gorgeous view in front of you.

  
**Specs** : "So you want to talk about feelings and shit?"  
**Ryan** : "Sure, err, it's a nice view up here." He moves closer to the edge of the roof so you're now stood behind him.  
**Specs** : "Certainly is. And what a lovely view for it to be the last thing you see."  
**Ryan** : "What do you...no. Specs noooo!" Ryan turns to face you. You've grabbed your shotgun and are pointing directly at Ryan's chest.  
**Specs** : "Haywood you die?" are the final words Ryan hears before you plant two bullets into him, sending him off the roof. A wad of cash is all that is left behind and your stride over to grab it. $3000 is your reward. You stand looking over the view once more and say "In the words of some pc guy 'Alpha two wins'!"

  
The once silent room is filled with laughter, exclaimations and cheering. Ryan gives you a look which you return with a raised eyebrow and smirk.  
"Well I guess what was a successful heist. Even if Specs turned on two of her crewmates."  
"Geoff, please. I did what I had to do and I'm pretty sure you would have all done the same. Some of you have done the same." You shoot Ryan a look but he's already shaking his head.  
"Alright, let's have lunch then when we come back we'll do Minecraft." The guys agree and you all head out together, chatting about the heist and the rule breaking that occured.

  
Days like this are the exact reason you love your job. These guys are like your brothers and they treat you like their sister. That's why they can get away with the remarks they make but also the affection they give to you. No one questions if you walk around with one of them drapped over your shoulder or you being carried around on their backs. You guys are like family and everyone understands that. Well, almost everyone.

 

 

 


	2. 4 years ago: Welcome to Achievement Hunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N)= Your Name (Y/F/N/)= Your Full Name
> 
> Note: This isn't written in real time. In this series, events that have happened at RT/AH may appear out of time continuity. This is on purpose. Also this chapter takes place in the previous office to the one they're in now. Specifically this one= https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzeixVYIIAAfAqD.jpg
> 
> Imagine this outfit with your colour choice of converse. https://cdnc.lystit.com/photos/1fa8-2014/01/30/neuw-black-salome-button-up-blouse-product-1-13132246-4-454109189-normal.jpeg

You couldn't believe it. You had an interview with the company you had dreamed of working at since you could remember. Waking up early, you were trying to decide what to wear. Would wearing one of their t-shirts make them think you were just a crazy fan trying too hard or would it impress them? Would wearing a formal top make them think you were too serious to fit in with them? You decided to wear the latter but would bring your favourite Achievement Hunter t-shirt just in case. You put your hair up in a ponytail and applied some basic make-up. A pair of blue ripped jeans, converses and a black blouse became your choice of outfit. You weren't sure if this was a good combo or not but you were too nervous to give it a second thought. A quick glance in the mirror to check yourself over and you were out the door. The heap of shit that was your car started after the second try and you told yourself that with your first paycheck, you'd get a better car. Praying it would make it to the Rooster Teeth office in one piece, you made the hour drive with 10 minutes to spare. You grabbed your bag from the car and made your way to the entrance. You paused just outside the building and took a long look over it. 'Holy shit, I'm actually here' you thought as you took a deep breath and went through the door.

  
"Hi, I'm (Y/F/N) and I have an interview at 11."  
"With Geoff? Yep, I'll let him know you're here. Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?"  
"Water would be great thanks." You say, trying your hardest to keep the nervousness out of your voice. The receptionist disappears and reappears a few minutes later with a bottle of cold water which she hands to you. Steadying your hand, you take a big sip.  
"(Y/N)?"  
You look in the direction of the voice to see Geoff Ramsey, head of Achievement Hunter walking towards you. Standing up too quickly, you give yourself a head rush and make the world spin uncontrollably. You hit your knee of the coffee table in front of you and without thinking, curse loudly. 'Good one jackass' you think to yourself and the sound of laughter hits your ears. You look up to see Geoff laughing at your expense. 'Well, you've fucked youself now. It's downhill from here'.  
"Yeah, that's me. Sorry for my language, I stood up too quick. Pleasure to meet you." You stretch out your hand for a handshake. Geoff returns the gesture.  
"I can see that and don't worry about it. Consider it a box checked. 'Can use foul language'. You're off to a good start. If you'd like to follow me." He turns and begins to walk back the way he came. Bending down to grab your bag, you catch up to him as he begins to talk a bit with you.  
"So you play video games right? Otherwise I'll end this interview right now."  
"Yeah...yeah of course I do."  
"Dude, relax. It was a joke. We wouldn't be having this conversation if you didn't. This isn't a formal interview, it's more of a chat so I can get to know about you without the boring crap. Think of me as someone you've know for a while and we're catching up. So tell me, do you watch our content?"  
"Pretty much everyday, the last GTA video you put out was funny as hell. Gavin's a real screw up when it comes to challenges."  
"Or anything in general. I like you already. What's your favourite game?"  
"I could say halo and get in your good books instantly but I'm not a kiss ass so I'm going to say 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'."  
"Well Michael will be pleased then. And it never hurts to be a kiss ass. You bought any of our merch?"  
"I have, I actually have a t-shirt with me now."  
"Then why the fuck aren't you wearing it?"  
"I didn't want you to think I was desperate by wearing it for the interview." Geoff stops dead in his tracks.  
"Bathroom is that way, code is 3645. Go put it on, I'll wait for you here. It's an order not a request."  
You're stunned by this but not wanting to wreck your chances of being hired, you hurry off to the bathroom and change into your 'Free Edgar' t-shirt. You return back to Geoff and the gent's eyebrows shoot up.  
"I didn't think that would be the t-shirt you had."  
"What were you expecting? The 'Geoff achieve' t-shirt?"  
"Now if you were wearing that, I'd say you have great taste. Shall we go meet the guys?" You feel the nervousness returning so you take a deep breath and try to lower your expectations. They say you should never meet your heroes yet here you were about to meet all of them in one go. Just praying your head wouldn't explode, you nod. Geoff opens the door and you see Jack, Michael and Ray at their desks staring at Gavin who is hitting his desk furiously.

  
"Gavin, what the fuck? We have company." All eyes fall on you and the best you can do is smile and wave. The guys stand up and make their way over towards you, shaking your hand in turn.  
"Guys this is (Y/N). (Y/N) you know these idiots." You all exchange 'hi's' then begin chatting about various things. All of them praise you on your choice of t-shirt which makes you smile and glance at Geoff who winks back. This makes you realise that the mad king himself, Ryan Haywood, is not in the room. Michael is delighted when he learns what your favourite game is and the two of you exchange showing off your zelda tattoos. Gavin returns to his desk and begins squawking. This causes the room to go silent and you see the annoyance in Geoff's face.  
"Gavin, seriously. What the fuck is going on?"  
"My pc is being a twat and won't work."  
"Where's Ryan?"  
"I think he's off doing the patch, he only left 10 minutes ago."  
"Great, we can't afford to wait for Ryan to come back then start fixing it and it'll take too long for someone to come over. We need to be ready to record by the time he gets back. Fuck!"  
"If I may?" You pipe in. The guys all look at you like you have 3 heads. "I have experience with pcs, mind if I take a look?"  
"It's better than nothing but are you sure you know what you're doing?"  
"Geoff, please. I'll get it fixed. Tell you what, I have such confidence I can fix it that I'll make a bet with you since you guys like doing that kind of thing."  
"I'm listening."  
"If I can get this fixed, running and recording before Ryan returns from the patch, you hire me today and I start next week."  
"And if you can't?"  
"I..er...owe you guys $10 each including Ryan who's not even here."  
"Sounds good to me, best get to it then."

  
You rush over to Gavin's desk, pushing the brit out the way and telling him to go make himself busy. The guys slip into a conversation but you have the feeling they're trying to disguise the fact that they're all watching you closely. You establish the problem instantly and begin fixing it. It takes you 30 minutes before Gavin's pc is running properly and you gesture for the brit to give it a once over before declaring victory. Sure enough, Gavin gives it a thorough look over before setting up and doing a practice record. He checks everything is in place and you stand in the middle of the room you longed to be in for the rest of time with baited breath. He slowly turns in his chair and looks between you and the guys before his eyes rest on you. Standing up, he makes his way over to you, the guys looking as confused as you do. Gavin Free is looking you straight in the eye and you're scared about what he's about to say.  
"(Y/N)..... Welcome to Achievement Hunter!!" And with that, he embraces you in a giant hug. You laugh with shock and tears form in your eyes. Gavin rocks you and spins you a little before releasing you. "She's done it, it works perfectly. And Ryan's not back for another 5 minutes. I'm impressed Specs."  
"A nickname already, christ! I really hope that one doesn't stick, just because I'm techy."  
"Well that and also you're wearing glasses. It has a double meaning to it. Geoff, is it offical that she works here now?" You all turn and look at the leader as he steps forward to stand in front of you. Your smile fades and your pretty sure you preemptively celebrated.  
"I gotta say, now I'm impressed. But you're not starting next week unfortunately." You nod your head, the tears of happiness now becoming tears of sadness. You blink them back, realising how close you were to your dream job but trying to keep it together until you got home.  
"I understand, thank you for the opportunity."  
"No you don't understand. You're not starting next week because you're starting tomorrow. Congrats Specs, you're one of us now!" And with that, Geoff embraces you in a hug. The tears flow and you smile so big, your cheeks hurt instantly. The other 3 hug you in turn and congratulate you. You wipe your tears and thank them all, promising they won't regret hiring you. Since it's around lunchtime, Geoff decides to postpone recording to take you out to lunch with the guys to celebrate. They begin grabbing their stuff just as Ryan walks into the room.  
"Hey, what's going on?"  
"We're going out to lunch if you'd like to join us?"  
"Alright, what's the occasion?"  
"She's standing right there." Geoff points to you and Ryan follows his finger to spot you. He does a double take and his blue eyes widen.  
"Hi, I'm (Y/N) and I'm the newest Achievement Hunter." You step forward and extend your hand. Ryan takes it and attempts to speak but he flubs and flubs hard. "You call yourself the Fry lord? More like the Flub lord." With that, the room explodes with laughter and you can't help but join in. Ryan is baffed but a defeated smile appears on his face.  
"Geoff, I love her already. Let's go Specs!" Jack says as he puts an arm around you and heads for the door.  
"Specs, why is she called Specs?"  
"Because Ryan, not only can I kick your ass at speaking but I own you at fixing pcs. That and the fact I wear glasses. I'm hoping this nickname won't catch on though." The guys laugh and you all head out to lunch.

Tomorrow marks the first day of a new adventure, one that you can't wait to begin.

 

 


	3. 1 year ago: You know how white boys be all like at the disco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from On the Spot episode 11.  
> Dress and hair style: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/54/d2/c7/54d2c712cc599bb30d809479198c80ae.jpg  
> Ryan's outfit style: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/09/1410273122096_wps_60_InStyle_Men_of_Style_even.jpg  
> The Booth layout style: http://www.spaceist.co.uk/images/stories/virtuemart/product/spaceist-red-night-club-booth-2.jpg

"Leeeeeeeeet's stop" Geoff calls out and you all end your captures. It's friday and some of the RT staff are going out tonight. Surprisingly all the Achievement Hunters are going out as well.  
"Specs, think you'll meet Mr Right tonight?" Jack says, switching off his machine. You hadn't be on so much as a date since before you started working at Achievement Hunter 3 years ago. You didn't mind though, it gave you more free time to hang out with the guys or play video games at home without the commitment to another person. It allowed you to come and go as you pleased, be your own free person.  
"I don't know. It's been so long since I've been in the game that I have no clue how to play it anymore. I probably suck at kissing, though my bathroom mirror does compliment me every time but I don't think that counts. As for sex, you know I don't feel comfortable sharing that kind of info with you guys. You're all like my older brothers, it would be weird."  
"Ah no, please give us all the horny dets. What position's your fav, what turns you on."  
"Gav, shut the fuck up. I'm not discussing this with you guys, epecially you. You guys will probably use it against me in some sick twisted way."  
"Too right we will! But seriously, don't you want to find someone?"  
"Right now, all I want to find is a way to end this conversation. Awkward question as always: Who is my fake boyfriend for tonight in case there's some creep I need rescuing from?"  
"I believe Ryan is tonight, thought the guy's a creep himself. It'll give you a chance to show him the ropes of being sociable. That and also having a girlfriend. Guy's been single about as long as you have." Geoff says as everyone grabs their stuff and starts making their way out of the office. He slings his arm over you and you both say your 'see you laters' to the others as you make your way to Geoff's car. Your heap of shit car is long gone but you're still saving up for a good one. Geoff told you to save your paycheck and get a place closer to the office first. In the meantime, the guys would take turns picking you up for work and dropping you home afterwards. You were lucky enough to get an reasonably sized apartment that was 40 minutes closer to work than before. And you were roughly two paychecks away from getting the car you'd had your eye on for a while. You thank Geoff for dropping you off and begin on planning your outfit for the evening. During dinner, you send a text to Ryan.

  
Specs: _"Haywood you pick me up tonight? You're my date for this evening, hope that's okay?"_  
Ryan: _"Really Specs, 'Haywood you pick me up tonight'? And sounds good to me, what time should I be at your place?"_  
Specs: _"Yes Haywood, really. Got a problem with it? Around 9 good for you?"_  
Ryan: _"No, no problem with just Haywood. Just the whole 'Haywood you...'. Isn't 9 a bit late?"_  
Specs: _"Do you want me to stop doing it? Because I can if it annoys you that much. Oh dear sweet Ryan, you have so much to learn about being sociable. Get here at 9 and I'll give you a quick load down so you're not too out of place tonight x"_  
Ryan: _"I don't mind you doing it, it's just the others. Damn Ray! And alright, I'll see you at 9."_  
Specs: _"Lesson 1, it's rude to not kiss a lady back. Even if it's by text x"_  
Ryan: _"I'd be lost without you Specs. Thanks."_  
Ryan: _"xx"_

  
You smile. Ryan is adorable, even more so when it comes to flirting. You admit you've thought about him romantically before and if you thought the feeling was mutual, you might have gone for it but at the same time he's one of your best friends and you wouldn't do anything to ruin that. You don't know where you'd be without any of the 5 lovable idiots you work with. Calculating your time until Ryan arrives, you jump in the shower quickly. Soon you're dressed and applying your contact lens and make-up. Your favourite style is smokey eyes and dark red lip stick. 'The devil's mistress' you call it. It's your go-to style when you have no idea what to expect on a night out. You've chosen a red cocktail dress which shows off your cleavage tastefully and emphasises your long legs perfectly. It's a tight little dress and you're selfishly thankful for the figure you have. You've never been into your looks but there are times you find yourself staring longer at the reflection in the mirror, if almost to reassure yourself it's you that's stood there and not someone else. You've chosen some black pumps that compliment the dress and you wear your hair loose yet slightly curled. It's 5 minutes to 9 and you're just making the final touches to your outfit when the doorbell rings. 'Here goes nothing' you find yourself thinking and feeling surprisingly anxious to open the door. This is the first social event in a long time that you actually put an effort into looking good. You're not sure anyone's going to recognise the sexy model you currently look like for the geeky Achievement Hunter techy. Taking a breath to steady yourself, you open the door. Ryan is facing away from the door but turns when he hears it opening. He's wearing a navy blue jacket over a white shirt and tie, dark jeans and nice shoes. When he catches a glimps of you, his eyes widen and his mouth drops open. You smile nerviously and realise neither of you have said anything to each other. So you decide to have some fun with it.

  
"Yes sir, can I help you?" You ask sweetly. It brings Ryan out of his trance and you can see he's trying to think of a response.  
"I...er...." He clears his throat before composing himself the best he can. "I'm looking for my friend, we're suppose to be heading out together tonight but I think I have the wrong apartment. Forgive me." He turns to walk away so you reach out to grab his tie. You hear him gasp and slowly, you pull him into your apartment. He closes the door behind him, looking at you for the next move.  
"No, you have the right place. Do I look that bad?" You do a small spin and catch Ryan checking you out.  
"No, you look stunning. Gorgeous. Sexy." He almost growls the last word and something inside you twitches. Why the fuck did that just happen? He's Ryan. You know, nerdy Ryan that you joke around with at the office. The same Ryan who has become some what of a sex object at Rooster Teeth. You push the thought aside and attempt to regain youself.  
"Jesus Ryan. I only threw on a nice dress and heels with a bit of make-up. Calm yourself." You feel like you should be telling yourself that last part.  
"I'm sorry if I overstepped a boundary. You're just breath-taking."  
"You didn't but seriously, let's try to cool things down."  
"Right, you said something about a lesson?"  
"Yes, you've passed the first part: Complementing your date. Secondly, your outfit needs a little work. Lose the tie completely." Ryan nods and begins undoing his tie. You find yourself staring and wishing it was you removing his tie. Then removing his jacket...his shirt....  
"Specs!" Ryan's voice brings you out of your thoughts and you see him smiling.  
"Shut up Ryan. You look a lot better now. So when you go to these kind of events, it's important to work the room. There will be a bunch of people from the company there so make an effort to speak to most of them. Check in with the guys but be sure to talk to other people as well. Since you are my date for this evening, we'll need to be in close contact so that if I need rescuing, it's believable that you are my boyfriend. Out of curiousity, when was the last time you were a boyfriend to someone?"  
"Should I be worried you didn't say woman, you said someone? And I don't know. Like 5 years ago. Just after I started working at RT. She couldn't understand why I'd want to play video games everyday for a job."  
"DuUUude. 5 years? That's....same as me actually. I was moving to Austin and he didn't want to come with me. Was with a new girl the day I left so I'd say I dodged a bullet there."  
"I'm sorry, that must have sucked."  
"Not really. Well, at the time it stung but they've got like 4 kids now and both cheat on each other the last I heard so I'm good. Plus I have you guys and nothing is better than that. Sex, maybe but I haven't had that in so long soooo I'm just going to shut up now." You feel slightly flustered. You can't believe you said all that out loud, epecially in front of Ryan. You walk over to where your purse is and grab it before readjusting yourself. When you deem yourself fit, you walk over to Ryan and take his arm. "You ready babe?" Ryan raises his eyebrow at the pet name you gave him but decides to have some fun of his own.  
"Ready when you are, dear." He smiles widely and it takes everything in your power not to reach up and kiss him then and there.  You step out into the crisp Austin air and make your way to Ryan's car. It's a nice little thing with only 2 seats and being the gentleman that he is, Ryan opens your car door for you. You blush a little, thinking manners like this are lost on today's society.

  
Soon you're on your way to the event. Every so often you look over at Ryan only to see him looking at you from the corner of his eye. You both sit in a comfortable silence, the only noises coming from the car and the radio that Ryan politely turn down just enough for it to still be heard. He pulls up at the location, a combination of a bar and club. He briskly walks over to your side of the car and opens the door for you, offering a hand to help you get out gracefully. You spot a lot of other cars and figure you must be one the last people here. Ryan offers his hand this time and you take it, entwining your fingers together and walking towards the entrance. Instantly you recognise everybody but you can see they don't recognise you. Ryan leads you towards a booth where Geoff, Jack, Gavin, Michael, Lindsay and Meg are sat talking. They stop their conversation when they see you and Ryan walking towards them. You and Ryan exchange a look, both acknowledging the fact they don't know it's you and deciding to see how believable of a couple you can be. Ryan releases your hand to put his arm around your waist and kisses the side of your head. You return the favour by placing your hand on his chest, feeling his toned torso. The both of you begin laughing and when you reach the booth, the looks on their faces are camera-worthy.

  
"Guys. And ladies. I'd like to introduce my girlfriend. Dear, this is Geoff, my boss, Jack, Gavin, Michael, Michael's wife Lindsay and Gavin's girlfriend Meg." You're greeted with 'hey's' and 'hi's' but mostly confused looks. You take the seat next to Meg while Ryan takes a seat that's separate from the booth seating. Geoff is the first to speak up.  
"Where have you been hiding her Ryan, in your hole with Edgar? May I ask if you have a name?" You look at Ryan who nods for you to reveal all.  
"What's the matter Ramsey, don't recognise your own employee?" All 6 pairs of eyebrows raise as high as they can and you and Ryan burst out laughing, high-fiving the fact you pulled that off.  
Geoff: "Holy shit Specs, you look incredible!"  
Jack: "Wow!"  
Michael: "Damn Specs!"  
Gavin: "No way!"  
Linsday: "I'd totally bang you right now."  
Meg: "I knew there was a sexy minx inside you, just had to let it out!"

  
You can't help but blush and smile at the compliments. You thank them all before making small talk and having a couple of drinks. The whole time you're talking, you can't help but glance at Ryan occasionally and everytime meeting his gaze. Meg and Lindsay decide they want to give you a test drive and take you onto the dance floor. You place your hand on Ryan's shoulder and tell him the plan, followed by what your distress signal is and the fact he should mingle with other RT people. He places his hand over yours and gives it a little squeeze, lifting it to his lips to place a quick kiss on it before releasing back to you. You feel the brush of his stubble and it sends shivers down your spine. You share a look but it's all too brief as the girls are dragging you away.

  
Once you're on the dance floor, the beat takes over and you let your body move to the rhythm of the music. You spot the guys are looking at the three of you and you come up with an idea. Speaking the best you can to the girls, they agree instantly and making sure the guys are looking, you begin to dance together. You end up in the middle of the two of them, Lindsay running her hands over your body while you dance closely to Meg, grinding her slightly. You glance over towards the guys and see all of them with their mouths open. You can't help but laugh and gesture for the girls to look as well. All three of you burst out laughing and Lindsay decides to kick it up a gear. She exchanges a look with Meg who understands what she means and agrees and before you know it, Lindsay's lips are on yours. You're a little surprise as you've never kissed a girl before but you're tipsy enough that it doesn't affect you too much. Her hands come up to your face and you relax into the kiss, aware that Meg is now running her hands over you. As soon as the kiss ends, you're spun and end up kissing Meg. You're sure by now, the guys are either going to be pissed at you kissing their girls or have raging boners. The kiss ends and all three of you have stupid smiles on your face. You make your way back to the booth where the guys are sitting. Meg and Lindsay end up in the laps of the spouses' while you in your tipsy state decide to sit on Ryan's lap. You wrap your arms around his neck and he places an arm around your waist and a hand on your knee.  
You guys stay like this until you want another drink. The alcohol has worn off so you decide to have something light to drink that will keep you hydrated. Moving out of Ryan's hold, you motion to the bar and hold up a finger so that he knows you'll be right back. He takes hold of that finger and kisses the tip of it, looking you in the eye the whole time. You bite your lip and he raises a surprised eyebrow but before he can say anything, you're walking towards the bar. You're stood at the bar forever, trying to get the bartender's attention. Every time, he answers other girls before you and it's beginning to make you feel pretty shit about yourself. You're about to give up when a stranger appears behind to you, trapping you at the bar.

  
"Hey! I'll have a rum and coke and whatever this lady wants. She's been waiting the longest and you've ignored her the entire time for other girls. She's just as pretty, if not prettier. What will you have?" You're stunned. No one has ever stood up for you like that before and this guy is freaking gorgeous. Why the hell would he defend a girl like you? You suddenly remember you haven't said anything and are probably making yourself look like an idiot.  
"I'll have a coke please, no ice or lemon. Thanks but you didn't have to do that. He would have gotten to me."  
"Yeah, when it was closing time and you were the only one left here. You just have to learn how to make yourself heard in these kind of places."  
"What like flaunting your tits so they're practically hanging on the counter? Yeah no thank you." The bartender returns with the drinks. You reach to get your card but the kind stranger has already handed his over. You throw a shocked look at the stranger who just laughs.  
"You didn't think I was going to let you pay for mine as well did you? I don't even know your name plus a lady never pays on the first date."  
"I'll tell you my name if you tell me your's first."  
"What are you, 5?" The stranger rolls his eyes. 'Smooth' you think to yourself. "I'm Eric and you are?"  
"(Y/N)"  
"There we go. Now that we're aquainted, why don't you tell me a little about yourself while we sit over here?" He points out some seating then offers his hand. You accept it and end up spending the next 2 hours talking to Eric. Every now and then, Lindsay or Meg catch your attention and you have to excuse yourself to Eric before nodding to let them know you're okay. You learn that Eric lives 10 minutes from your apartment, is 3 years older than you and is a successful businessman who travels a lot for work. As the evening winds down, you see the gang making moves to leave. You notify Eric and exchange phone numbers with him promising to text you tomorrow. He gives you a kiss on the cheek and helps you off your stool. You give him a kiss on the cheek back, enough to leave a red lipstick mark which you point out and both laugh at. He takes your hand and gives it a little squeeze before you part ways and head back to the group. All of you walk out into the cold night air and suddenly there's a jacket around your shoulders. You take it and pull it closer, realising it's Ryan's. You turn and see him standing there in his shirt, shivering a little with what you think is an annoyed look on his face. Both of you say your farewells and wrapping his arm around you, Ryan leads you back to his car. There's some tension in the car on the drive back but you can't quite figure out if you're imaging it or not.

  
"So I saw you talking to that guy. Anything there?" Ryan finally says, though something in his voice make you feel a little uneasy.  
"Maybe. He seems nice. He's a businessman and lives 10 minutes from me. But I just met the guy. He said he'll text me tomorrow."  
"That's nice."  
"Ryan, what's up? This isn't you."  
"I'm...just....tired. Can't wait to go to sleep." You have a feeling he's not telling you the whole truth but you have nothing else to go on so you just accept it. He pulls up at your apartment but doesn't instantly get out. Instead, he turns the car off.  
"Everything okay?"  
"Yeah, I just turned the car off so I wouldn't wake up the neighbours. Would you like me to walk you up?"  
"It's okay. You said you were tired and I wouldn't want you to crash or anything on your drive home."  
"I'll manage. Come, I'll walk you up." You both climb out the car and Ryan offers his arm to you. Reaching your apartment, you open the door and turn to face Ryan.  
"Well this is me. Thanks for everything tonight, I had a really great time. And for the record, you were a perfect gentleman, something lost nowadays."  
"Thanks and thank you for teaching me about how to be sociable. I won't forget tonight anytime soon."  
"Well, goodnight Ryan."  
"Goodnight.....(Y/N)." You lean up to give him a kiss on the cheek but he goes the exact same way and you accidently kiss on the lips. It's a brief one for as soon as it happens, you both realise what has happened. You both pull away and apologise to the other before laughing it off and settling for a hug instead. He sneaks in a kiss on the neck then heads for his car. You close the door behind you and lean against it, sliding to the floor. Did you have feelings for Ryan Haywood? That accidental kiss was electric and that kiss on your neck was enough to last you for the next year. You shake your head before standing and heading to the bathroom to prepare for bed.

What. A. Night!

 


	4. Michael vs Specs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cars  
> Banshee: http://www.gta5car.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Banshee-GTA-5.jpg  
> Dodge: https://theviperstore.com/images/BGD-2006-dodge-viper.jpg
> 
> GTA outfit  
> Top: http://images.asos-media.com/inv/media/1/8/3/3/2413381/black/image1xxl.jpg  
> Shorts: http://www.klhuby.com/images/p/Clothing/o%E2%80%99neill-beach-cruiser-denim-shorts-for-women-in-dark-rinse~p~8267m_01~1500.2.jpg  
> Shoes: http://www.spylovebuy.com/images/santiago-flat-stretch-knee-high-riding-boots-black-leather-style-p1103-3991_zoom.jpg  
> Aviators: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0193/6253/products/1375h.JPG?v=1428186942

You'd thought long and hard about what you would challenge Michael to for versus. Some of the previous challenges had been about food, real life games such a jenga or throwing challenges. But since Geoff's comment about your driving 2 weeks ago, you'd had an idea as for what you would challenge Michael to. You had it basically planned out, informed all the right people and with a week to go, you were excited. The challenge before yours had been Jack vs Michael which Jack lost and when your name was called out as the next challenger, the only thing you said was "Bring your GTA outfit and get ready." Once filming had stopped, the guys were all curious as to what you meant by that. You told them you'd say no more, just that Michael had to bring his GTA outfit next week.

  
_1 week later._

  
Everything is in place for your challenge. You have your GTA outfit with you and your anticipation is through the roof. Everyone is set up, ready to record and watch. You told Michael to load up GTAV so that you didn't have to wait for the GTA load times. Trevor is filming you and Michael while Jeremy has the rest of the room covered. You had to inform the boys of your plan and the fact you would need go-pros. They took care of it and both are just as excited as you are. You signal to Geoff that you're ready to begin and once he checks in with everyone else, there's nothing left to do but start.  
**Geoff** : "VERSUS! Now last week, Jack challenged Michael to whatever the fuck it was and lost. SO, Specs is stepping into the arena and the only thing we've heard of your challenge is that Michael needed his GTA outfit, which he is not wearing."  
**Specs:** "Well first a bit of backstory for our audience. Geoff was driving behind me one morning on our way to work and I decided to have a bit of fun and drive to work a little faster than usual. I left Geoff in the dust which prompted him to compare my driving to that of my driving in GTA. Since Michael was so interested by this statement, I thought I'd challenge him to a GTAV race. So Michael, if you would accept my GTA invite and we'll get started. We're going to be using a specfic car though: The Banshee. Why will become clear later."  
**Michael** : "Seriously Specs, a GTA race? This isn't a challenge at all."  
**Specs** : "Ah but it's not as simple as that. Yes we're racing but it's also about the time in which you complete the race. It's 3 laps around Sandy Shores airport completed in the quickest time. That and winning the race. Only rule is no contact because the time element is important."  
You both picked the Banshee but you tell Michael to pick a blue and white one which you also pick. You're both lined up at the start line, honking your honks and revving your engines. The race begins, you hit the boost and take an instant lead. A lap and half later Michael bunces the back of your car and you move out the way to allow him to take the lead. With half a lap left to go, you manage to pull up alongside Michael. He's screaming at his pc screen for the car to go faster and finishes 7 seconds before you do. You make a note of the times while Michael is celebrating.  
**Geoff** : "Congratulations Michael! Two weeks in a row, good job Buddy."  
**Specs** : "That's not the challenge over. There's a part 2."  
**Michael** : "WHAT? But I won!"  
**Specs** : "The GTA race yes but I still haven't revealed why I asked you to bring your GTA outfit. Turns out, Achievement Hunter's going on a bit of a road trip." Jeremy captures the room of confused looks before stopping filming. He and Trevor nod to you and make their way out of the room.  
**Geoff** : "Specs what's going on?"  
**Specs** : "You'll see. Who has a car big enough to fit all of us?"  
**Jack** : "I got my truck so I can take us all. It's a good job Gavin's not here."

  
You all make your way to Jack's truck and you tell him to follow Jeremy's car. Jack catches on quickly where you're going and looks at you in the passenger seat. You smile back at him then beginning quizzing the rest of the car as to what they think is going on. Michael and Geoff have no ideas but Ryan's idea is as close to the truth as you could get without giving it away. Eventually you pull up at an old airport that is now used for track days. Geoff, Michael and Ryan are stunned while Jack and you laugh at their reactions. You tell Michael to get into his GTA outfit and you head over to the office to sign in and make sure everything is sorted. Jeremy films a dramatic shot of Michael walking out of a building in his GTA outfit, looking badass.  
**Specs** : "Looking good Michael. So the second half of the challenge is a real life race round an airport. 3 laps like before but there are a few exceptions. Firstly, the real challenge is whoever can finish their 3 laps the quickest. There are some bonus points for finishing within 30 seconds of your GTA time. Secondly, we won't be racing at the same time. I fear the adrenaline may get to one of us and I'd much rather we were both alive after this. So we'll be going one at a time then we'll compare times at the end to see who wins. We have two identical cars that we'll be driving, one each so there's no accusations of foul play if we were to use the same car. Now the reason I told you to drive a blue and white banshee in the game is because it's the car we'll be driving today. Obviously 'banshee' isn't a real car so we'll be driving the car it's based on." You make a signal and the guys all look in that direction. A blue and white sports car rolls out onto the track and lines up at the start line, close to where you're stood. "It's a second generation dodge viper sr and sounds orgasmic. So Michael, you up to the challenge?"  
**Michael** : "Bitch please, you're going to regret this. But in all seriousness, this is an awesome challenge. Thanks for arranging this."  
**Specs** : "No problem, just prepare for an ass whooping. You're first by the way. Good luck!"  
Michael get into the car. You had to agree to two practise laps with a seated instructor for health and safety reasons. Michael completes his and lines back up at the start line. Trevor is set up to film at a different point on the track and you, Geoff and Ryan along with Jack, who has a stopwatch, stand by the start line whilst Jeremy films your commentary. The lights above the start line light up red one by one and when they change to green, Michael pulls away from the line with such grace that you can't help but laugh. The 4 of you comment on Michael's driving, whether you'll beat him or not and if he'll finish close to his GTA time. Michael flies across the line and Jack writes down his time. You inwardly admit it's a good time, he managed to earn his bonus points as well. Geoff turns to you and asks if you're ready. You say not yet and tell Jeremy to follow you while Trevor films Michael's reaction getting out the car then the guys chatting. Jeremy films the same shot of you in your GTA outfit as he did with Michael. You're wearing a black crop top with long sleeves, tight denim shorts, black knee-high boots and a pair of mirrored aviators. An almost carbon copy of your GTAV character. Trevor perfectly captures the guys' reaction, their conversation coming to an abrupt stop at the sight of your outfit. You let your hair blow gently in the wind and walk over towards them, Jeremy filming you the whole time.

  
**Specs** : "Guys, it's just my GTA outfit."  
**Michael** : "Yeah but damn you pull it off!"  
**Specs** : "Shut the fuck up Michael! Now you ready to lose and hand all the trophies and shit over to me?"  
**Michael** : "Fuck no! I think you talk a big game but I bet Geoff just drives slow, that's why he commented on your driving."  
**Geoff** : "I do not drive slow. But I'm swaying towards siding with Michael. I think you've got tough competition Specs."  
**Specs** : "Are you all on Michael's side?" The guys either nod or confirm out loud."Alright then. Since you guys think Michael's going to win the versus, why don't we make this interesting? $20 to each of you if I lose including Gavin because he would have sided with his boy regardless. If I win however, you each buy me lunch next week. Sound good?" You shake hands with each of them then head off to the car. You've seen Michael's time and know you're going to beat it. You've also driven these types of cars before, Eric has taken you out driving. That's how you knew about this place and are good friends with all the staff. They allowed you to come down here for free when you told them what you were planning. But that wasn't going to stop you having some fun with the guys. You decide to play the innocent act, the 'I don't know what I'm doing' character. Climbing in, you adjust the seat and mirrors and start the car. Deliberately, you stall the car and hear all the guys laughing 10 feet away from you.  
"Try taking your boots off" you hear Ryan yell but you decide to ignore it. You've driven in high heels before, easily. Since there's a go-pro in the car, you look directly at it and begin to talk to it, knowing the footage won't be seen until the editing stage.  
"What the guys don't know is that I'm fucking with them. I know exactly how to drive this car but where would be the fun in doing it straight off the bat? I'm going to drive poorly in my practise laps so the think they've won their bet already then slaughter Michael in the actual race. I'm telling you this now so that there's video proof of this whole plan." You begin chatting to the instructor next to you, Tim, who you know quite well so that it looks like you're asking for advice when in fact, you're just catching up. You drive super slow, speeding up and slowly down and occasionally stopping the car to talk to Tim. Once you place the car back on the start line, you step out of the car and thank Tim for all the 'advise' he gave to you.  
**Michael** : "Still confident you're going to beat me Specs?"  
**Specs** : "Hell yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  
**Michael** : "Because of the way you've just driven. This is almost going to be the easiest $20 I've ever made. I'll be planning next week's versus while you take it easy round the track. Don't take too long though, it might be next week by the time you finish." The guys burst of laughing and all you can do is smile and nod. You know exactly what's coming but they don't which feels so good.  
**Specs** : "Well if that's everything, I'll do my race. But I'd watch carefully Michael, looks can be deceiving." You hear snorts and 'Yeah rights' behind you as you make your way back to the car which just makes you smile more. Climbing back into the driver's seat, you ready yourself for the race ahead. You're hoping Jeremy catches the facial expressions of the guys and as you glance over your shoulder, you see he's in the perfect position to do so. Looking up at the red lights, you take a deep breath. You've got this, you've so got this. Revving the engine, you anticipate when the lights are going to change to green. When they do, you put your foot to the floor on the gas and wheelspin off the start line. 0-60 in 4 seconds and you're flying round the track, not bothering to look towards the guys. You're on the last lap and decide to go for a big finish to really cement your win. As you approach the finish line, you flick the car the way you know how to and skid sideways across the line, doing a complete 180 then pulling up next to the guys. You turn off the car and step out the car to be greeted with stunned silence.

  
**Specs** : "Well this is a first. The Achievement Hunters dead silent. And all it took was for me to prove you all wrong is such spectacular style. I'll grab the trophies and shit when we get back. Oh, and I kept my boots on the entire time. Like I said, looks can be deceiving." The guys still don't say anything. Geoff attempts to but just makes noises instead. Jeremy and Trevor are laughing at their reactions and you can't help but laugh as well. You look into the camera that Jeremy is filming with. "I guess that's it for this week's versus. Congrats to me! Next week I'm challenged by the mad king himself Ryan Haywood but from the way he looks now, I guess he's more like the intimidated king. Leeeeet's stop!" And with that, Jeremy and Trevor stop filming. You thank them for keeping the plan a secret and the boys grab the go-pros before heading back to the office. The guys are still silent and it makes you a little uneasy. "Guys, say something please. It wasn't that amazing."  
**Geoff** : "Are you freaking kidding?! Where did you learn to drive like that?"  
**Specs** : "Geoff, did you not listen to what I told you two weeks ago? GTA. That and I've had a little bit of practise driving cars like this."  
**Jack** : "Seriously? Why didn't you tell us?"  
**Specs** : "It never really came up plus it was the kind of secret that you wouldn't have believed until you saw it for yourself. Like Ryan being a male model and doing the gnome shoot."  
**Ryan** : "Woah, that was way different."  
**Specs** : "How so Ryan?"  
**Ryan** : "Well, you know, it just is."  
**Specs:** "In other words, not so much?"  
"Shut up Specs." You couldn't help but smile every time Ryan got flustered over something you asked him. The guys quiz you more on your driving experience and you tell them stories of the times you've been driving with Eric. You laugh at how they happily betted against you and tell them what your plan had been. They were outraged but were still going to uphold the bet you made. You fall into comfortable conversation as Jack drives you all back to the office, thanking the staff at the track for their help on your way out. Secretly, you hoped Eric wouldn't be annoyed at you coming down here without him. It was kind of your thing you did together but on the other hand, it's a free country. You figured what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

 

Big mistake.

 

 

 


	5. The morning after (1 year ago)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Outfit style: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e8/25/cf/e825cf6e0e0d548426c97f7a5b95f684.jpg
> 
> This chapter follows on from Chapter 3: 1 year ago: You know how white boys be all like at the disco

The alarm on your phone that you forgot to unset rings loudly in your ear. You groan and start feeling around for it. It's on the floor and as you pick it up to silence it, you see that it's 7am. Not remembering what time you got in last night, you set another alarm for a few hours time and go back to sleep.

  
Just before your 10am alarm rings, your phone goes off notifying you of a text. After basically waking up and adjusting to the sunlight that's flooded your room, you open the text. It's from Eric.  
Eric: Hey (Y/N), it's Eric from the club. I hope you slept well last night. Not meaning to sound forward but would you be up for getting some early afternoon coffee?  
Specs: Hey Eric, I slept great thanks for asking. Early afternoon coffee sounds great, meet you at the Starbucks on East 4th street?  
Eric: Great, I'll see you at 2!  
Oh. my. god. You have a next day date! You can't help but smile then panic when a millon questions invade your mind. What are you going to wear? Is he going to recognise you? Will he still like you even though you normally look nothing like how you did last night? How are you going to get there when you don't even have a car? You flop back down onto the bed and put a pillow over your face. What the fuck have you done? Right, plan of action is needed. Shower, breakfast, text around for a lift, plan outfit, get to date by 2. Seems easy enough. You discover Jack is heading that way around the time you need to be there so he'll pick you up around 1:30. After almost you entire waredrobe is laid out on your bed, you decide to wear a loose top, tight jeans and combat boots. Your hair is a little wild from last night but you make it work. You make yourself a light lunch, more to steady your nerves than out of hunger. At 1:30, you hear a car beep outside and grabbing your bag, you're out the door. Jack is sat in his pickup truck and smiles when he sees you. After you climb in, you lean across to give him a kiss on the cheek and he gives you a face full of beard in return. You both laugh and he begins driving.  
"Hey Specs. You're looking lovely today."  
"You saying I don't look lovely always?"  
"No, you always look good. Today, you look lovely."  
"What does that mean?"  
"Well, it's not office Specs but it's also not last night Specs which by the way look phenomenal. In a non creepy kind of way, more of a making an observation. The way you look now is somewhere inbetween, it's nice."  
"You saying I should dress like this more often?"  
"Yes, you should absolutely dress like this more often. No, like I said you look good all the time. It's just something different about this look that's all." Jack gasps suddenly, making you jump in your seat. "You're meeting the guy from last night now aren't you?"  
"No!"  
"Specs..."  
"Fine, yes I am. I'm going on my first date in like 5 years, though it's just coffee. Please, please don't say anything to anyone until I tell you to. For all I know, I don't like the guy or he doesn't like me then I'm back to square 1."  
"Specs, he's going to like you. How can he not?" You smile at Jack's kind words. Out of all the guys, Jack is the big softie who isn't afraid to show his feelings. He's the one who cuddles you while the others just hug you. It's nice having a best friend like him.  
"Thanks Jack."  
"No worries. It suddenly made sense why you look like this. I haven't see you look like this before and the only side of you I haven't see is the dating side so I put two and two together."  
"Jack, there are many more sides to me than the ones you have seen. Trust me. But is it that obvious I'm going on a date?"  
"To those who know you, possibly. To this guy, nope. What's he like anyway?" You tell Jack everything you know about Eric and he helps to calm you down. He pulls up a little down the street so it doesn't look like you're getting dropped off. You thank him again and kiss him on the cheek, trying to avoid beard on your face. He gives your hand a little reassuring squeeze and smiles at you. You smile back and climb out of the car. Eric is standing by the entrance, pacing a little. You take in how good he looks and tell yourself he's way out of your league. He notices you and does a slight double take, comfirming his thoughts when you walk over to him.

  
"Hey Eric."  
"Hey (Y/N)" He leans in to give you a kiss on the cheek and you return it. "I almost didn't recognise you, you look beautiful." You blush a little. Seems like forever since someone called you that and actually meant it. He opens the door to the coffee shop and gestures for you to go first. You smile and make your way inside, Eric following. He asks you what you'd like and you ask for a hot chocolate, no foam. You're not overly keen on coffee, you'll drink it if there's nothing else but only as a last resort. Eric asks if you're allergic to anything and you reply no, thinking it was a odd thing to ask. You spot a nice 2-seater table by the window and point it out to Eric who tells you to grab it and he'll bring the drinks over. The coffee shop has a nice view and you can't help but stare. Looking at the world passing you by right in front of your eyes is a favourite past time of yours. The sound of a tray being placed on the table brings you out of your daydream and you see a cup with your name on it. Eric hands it to you but also a small paper bag that was on the tray. Inside is a chocolate chip cookie. You smile and Eric smiles back. "I hope there is nothing wrong with the fact I got you that. That's why I asked if you were allergic to anything, didn't want to poison you on our first date." You smile even more. He also thinks it's a date which dissolves any nerves you still had. You spend the next hour getting to know each other. He learns about where you work and you learn about his business. Turns out he's the position down from a CEO which explains why he travels a lot for work. You learn he's going out of town tomorrow to Chicago and won't be back until the end of the month. The conversation is beginning to slow and it's getting late so you both decide to call it a day. He offers you a ride home and you accept, knowing he only lives 10 minutes further from you so it's not out of his way to drop you off. When you arrive at your apartment, you invite him inside for coffee even though you just had some. He laughs but takes you up on the offer. You head for the kitchen, thanking yourself for the fact you're a neat freak therefore your apartment is clean and tidy. You bring him his coffee but spot he's eyeing something on your couch suspiciously.

  
"That's my friend Ryan's jacket. He was part of the group and my ride home last night. It was freezing outside the club so I asked him for his jacket. I must have forgotten I was wearing it when he dropped me off last night." You weren't going to outright say that Ryan gave you his jacket in case you scared Eric off. Eric acknowledged your statement but still eyed it with caution. A ringtone fills with awkward silence and Eric stands to lift his phone out of his pocket, excusing himself to take the call. You leave your living room to give him some privacy, tidying the kitchen to keep yourself busy. 5 minutes later, Eric pops his head round the door to say he has to go and attend to some business matters. You walk him to the door and thank him for the date. He thanks you back and tucks a piece of hair behind your ear, sliding his finger down your face to under your chin. Pulling you gently, he plants a kiss on your lips. It's a soft but long kiss and you get a rush from it. He pulls away and says he'll text you soon, making his way back to his car. You close your door and bite your lip. 2 kisses in the space of 24 hours? You smile a little then remember Ryan's jacket so you send him a text.  
Specs: _"Hey Ryan, you left something here yesterday which needs to be claimed. Fancy coming over and getting it?"_  
Ryan: _"Are you talking about yourself?"_  
Specs: _"Ha. Ha. No, I have your jacket here and I don't want to bring it in to work with me. Can you get it?"_  
Ryan: _"Like right now? I was thinking about having dinner."_  
Specs: _"Yes right now before either of us forgets and we can order in some dinner here for both of us. Just get over here!"_  
Ryan: _"Geez, someone's desperate to see their favourite work friend."_  
Specs: _"Oh Geoff's with you too? ;)"_  
When you don't get a response, you can't help but giggle. There's something about teasing Ryan that is enjoyable yet you know your boundaries and that it's all in good fun. You change into your chillax clothes and turn on the TV searching for a film to watch. Something makes you look over at Ryan's jacket and you can't help but be fascinated by it. You walk around the sofa and pick the jacket up, feeling it's surprisingly light weight. As if almost automatic, you pull it to your face and smell it. It smells of Ryan with a faint hint of a cologne and you can't help but think that Ryan smells good enough without adding anything to it. The doorbell rings which startles you. You place the jacket down on the back of the sofa and head for the door. Opening it, you see Ryan stood there in jeans and a tshirt holding two pizza boxes and a carry bag. Before you can say anything, he speaks in an annoyed tone.

  
"Geoff's just parking the car, he'll be here in a minute."  
"Oh, I was joking earlier. I didn't think he was actually with you." You step aside, allowing Ryan in who puts everything down on your coffee table. He begins arranging dinner then makes his way back to you. You're feeling a little disappointed that it won't just be you and Ryan, mainly because you don't hang out as often as you do with the others.  
"He wasn't but when you said he was your favourite work mate, I made sure he joined us."  
"I was joking Ryan, you shouldn't take everything I say so seriously."  
"Well then it's a good job I didn't invite him then. I really had you going for a second then." He laughs and you playfully hit him. You couldn't believe Ryan had actually called you out on your joke, you were going to get him back. He pulls you into a hug and kisses the top of your head then spins you and pushes you towards the couch. You notice he's got your favourite pizza along with soda for the both of you. Realising how hungry you are now, you take a slice and begin eating. You can't help but question how Ryan knew what your favourite pizza was but figure he must have noted it when you went out for pizza parties to celebrate the victor of versus. He pours you a drink and you put on the film you selected. When you've both finished, Ryan clears the table even though you protest then settles at the other end of the couch. You give him a look and he shrugs, clearly confused. Rolling your eyes, you grab the blanket off the back of the couch and shuffle next to him, placing the blanket over the both of you. It's natural for you to lean against his arm and when he lifts it behind you, you lean against him torso, putting your feet up on the couch so your full weight is on him. You feel his hand rest on your waist, his thumb rhythmically stroking your side. It feels so nice that your eyes become heavy and you try to stifle your yawns. You realise that Ryan's breathing is steady which makes you assume he's fallen asleep so you take this as the go ahead signal for your eyes to shut, drifting off to sleep in the arms of your best friend.

And for the record your favourite work friend, though you'd never tell him that yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read my stories so far. This is my first time writing anything like this and I never expected anyone to read them, let alone like them so thank you!
> 
> I'm going on a two week break now for the summer but fear not, I have the next few chapters written so expect to see the next one soon.


	6. The day after the night before (1 year ago)

It's a little too warm for you. You push off whatever is on top of you and open your eyes, realising you're in your bedroom. Memories of last night come back to you. You fell asleep in front of the tv on the couch. On Ryan. Ryan. You figure he must have woken up and carried you to bed. But he wasn't here now, maybe he headed home afterwards. Stretching, you get out of bed and change into some leggings and a tank top. The smell of bacon hits you and as you follow the smell, you notice Ryan making breakfast. You couldn't help but smile a little. Ryan looks like a man on a mission, dancing a little to the music he had put on which you assumed was to fill the silence. He does a spin and sees you standing in the doorway, a guilty look on his face. Your small smile turns into a grin.

  
"No, please don't stop on my account. I was enjoying you dancing since I didn't get a chance to see you in action on Friday."  
"Shut up Specs. I was going to surprise you but I guess that's out the window. Good morning by the way."  
"Good morning to you Mr Haywood. I appreciate the gesture, it's very thoughtful of you. Did you sleep okay? I assume you carried me to bed last night so thank you for doing that, though you could have just left me on the couch."  
"I could have but then where would I have slept? It's no problem, you were out of it anyway. I slept great, how about you?"  
"Yeah I slept pretty well." You lean over to take a bacon strip off a plate but Ryan playfully slaps your hand away. Startled, you jump back and Ryan laughs, continuing his cooking. You rub your hand then make your way out of the kitchen to set the table. Breakfast is divine, you can't remember the last time you had a cooked breakfast. Ryan has made bacon, scrambled eggs and toast, the best he could do with the contents of your fridge. You ask him what he was up to when you texted him and he explains he was working on a GTA map for a future let's play. He asks you the same question and before you can stop yourself, you tell him about your date with Eric. You tell him Eric was weirded out by his jacket which reminded you to text him about it. Ryan chuckles but it's not his authentic one. He quickly changes the subject and asks what your plans are for today. You had planned on going to your secret spot for a few hours to de-stress and relax before another hectic week of work. But it's your secret spot for a reason.  
"I'm going out for a bit. You?"  
"I don't know, I don't really plan my weekends. Where are you going?"  
"Somewhere."  
"Are you going out with Eric and you just don't want to tell me?"  
"What? No, why would you think that?"  
"I don't know, that's why I asked. Why won't you tell me where you're going?"  
You pause a little before you answer. "Because I don't want anyone to know. Just trust me okay?" You move your hand across the table to take his and give it a little reassuring squeeze. Ryan looks at your hand with his then at you. You add a small smile but Ryan just looks back at his hand. "Ryan, please don't be like this."  
"I'm sorry, it's just a bit of a shock that's all. I'm being ridiculous."  
"Yeah you are but if you're worried then don't be. I'm not doing anything dangerous or working another job. It's just somewhere I go that I don't want anyone to know about." Ryan seems satisfied by this answer and stands to clear the table. You stop him, telling him since he cooked you'll clean and you begin doing just that. When you have finished clearing the table and kitchen, Ryan is ready to leave. You're a little sad to see him go, especially after the way he reacted to your plans for the day. He pulls you in for a hug, holding you a little longer than usual as if he believes this will be the last time he sees you. You thank him for a great night last night and he returns the compliment. As he goes out the door, you grab his hand and squeeze it once more before saying farewell and closing the door.

At 10am, Geoff comes by to drop his car off. You asked him a while back if you could borrow it for a few hours on Sundays and he agreed, no questions asked. It's become like a routine now. Geoff doesn't ask why you need it and you like that about him. You exchange stories from Friday and tell Geoff about your joke yesterday. He's surprised that Ryan called you out on it but praised you for saying he was your favourite work friend. It's around 10:45 when Geoff is picked up by Griffon and heads off. You grab your ipod and headphones, a drink and your shades. The location of your spot is towards the outskirts of the city, a 20 minute drive. It's a hill that has a small car park at the top and a few walk paths but it overlooks the entire city. The air is clear there and there's no noise of the city to be heard. The closest you could get to being one with nature without becoming Bear Grylls. Your spot is virutally impossible to find but easy once you know how to get there. It's pretty much invisible and you're able to sit there without anyone bothering you. You see people walk past but no one ever glances your way. It's perfect for you. There is a single bench in front of you further down the hill but if anyone turns around, they can't see you. Almost like a one way mirror in a police station. You take out your ipod, put on some music and just watch the world go by.  
  
A few hours later, your phone starts buzzing. You pause your music, take out your headphones and pull your phone out your pocket. It's Ryan. Confused, you answer it.  
"Hey Ryan, what's up?"  
"Where are you?"  
"I can't say, why what's up?"  
"Well I spotted Geoff's car at a location he'd never be so I called him and he said you had his car. This is where you were heading, why didn't you tell me?"  
You pinch the bridge of your nose, taking in a deep breath. "I told you, I didn't want anyone to know. I like taking myself off the grid on occasions which involves no one knowing my whereabouts for a few hours. Why is this hard for you to understand?"  
"Specs, I'm sorry. You could have said."  
"Or you could have trusted me. I thought we were close enough that you didn't have to be like this and just let things be without making it complicated. What the hell are you doing all the way out here anyway?"  
"I was just out for a drive. I sometimes come this way but very rarely. Only when I want to go for a longer drive. I'm really sorry, the last thing I ever wanted to do was upset you."  
"Just next time, fucking trust me okay?"  
"I will, I promise. Thank you. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Again, sorry."  
You hang up without replying. Guilt begins to creep in, making you feel bad for the way you acted. Taking in another deep breath, you close your eyes and for a moment let the silence take over. You keep breathing like this until the guilt decends into non-exsistance and you feel okay again.

Roughly 15 minutes later, you just make out someone walking up to the bench and just staring out at the city. They begin looking around and you can just make out it's a man. You see him take out his phone and yours begins to vibrate, flashing that Ryan is calling you. Ignoring it, you text him.  
**_Specs_** : "If that's you standing by the bench looking around, I'm not telling you where I am. Nobody knows and right now, that's the way I like it. You can't tell a soul this is where I go, I'll make you swear to it. Don't come looking for someone who doesn't want to be found. Just enjoy the view and I'll see you tomorrow. x"  
The man takes out his phone and after a few moments, they look around before sitting on the bench which confirms to you that it's Ryan. You tear up a little. This is the place you came when you wanted to escape everything. You had a similar spot in your previous city and made the mistake of telling your boyfriend at the time where it was. That's how you knew he was with a new girl the day you left. You had gone up there to say goodbye and enjoy the spot one last time and instead found your boyfriend going at it with some random girl. It broke your heart and you swore to yourself that if you were lucky enough to find another spot like that in Austin, that you wouldn't tell anyone where it was. Being alone for those few hours did wonders for you, it kept you in balance. A single tear rolls down your cheek. Of course, you wouldn't purposely lie to Ryan or anyone for that matter about where you were but you needed this and weren't prepared to jeopardise it for anything or anyone. This place was your runaway, your escape with the ability to go back to reality in the blink of an eye if you needed to. You wipe the tear away from your face and plug your headphones back in, taking in the view and the man sat on the bench in front of you. In these moments, everything is right with the world. Ryan leaves 20 minutes later and you leave an hour and a half after him, just after the sun begins to set. You make sure Ryan isn't secretly hidden anywhere and when you reach the car park, Geoff's car is the only one there. He collects it 10 minutes after you arrive back with it, no questions asked. You make yourself some late dinner and head off to bed, calmed and ready for what tomorrow will bring.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologises for the long break between chapters. I fully intended to upload this chapter 2 weeks ago but life got in the way. Thanks for sticking with it :D


	7. Love bites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The car: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/90/24/b5/9024b5b9391ae9c140f89b3651b095b8.jpg

It's Saturday morning, the day after your versus. When you had gotten back to the office, nothing else really got done because everyone was discussing the earlier events. When you had gotten home, Eric had texted to say he was back in town for the next week and wanted to come over. As soon as you had opened the door Eric was all over you, clearly making up for lost time. His kiss was hard and it took you by surprise. He turned you and pushed you against your front door, his hands roaming your body. His mouth moved from your lips to your neck and you tipped your head to allow him better access. Eric bit and sucked at your neck, causing a moan to escape from your mouth. This gave him the signal he was waiting for. He bent slighty to grab your thighs and lifted you higher against the door. You wrapped your legs around his waist and when he had a good hold of you, he took you to your bedroom. The sex was mindblowing, his desire for you was such a turn on. You had passed out almost instantly afterwards, trying to stay awake long enough to say goodnight properly.

  
When you wake, Eric is not beside you like he was last night. You put on some chillax clothes and go in search of him. He's sat at your dining table with a cup of coffee reading something on his ipad. You don't actually remember him bringing a bag with him last night but sure enough, there's an overnight bag near the front door. Instead of addressing him, you head for the bathroom to freshen up before giving him a morning kiss. While washing your hands, you notice something on your neck. Adjusting your view, you realise in horror that Eric has left a massive hickey on your neck. This was never going to be gone by Monday and the guys were going to have a field day making fun of you because of it. Cover up wasn't going to do the trick either, probably just make it more obvious. You walk back into the living room and stand at the opposite end of the table, staring at Eric. When he doesn't notice your presence, you do the obvious throat clearing to get his attention. It's a few seconds before he looks up at you and smiles.

  
"Good morning (Y/N). How did you sleep?"  
"I slept great and was in a good mood until I went to the bathroom."  
"Oh that time of the month?"  
"NO! I saw this in the mirror." You guesture to your neck though it's not like you could miss it. Eric whistles, seemingly impressed with his work. You scowl at him. "What the actual fuck Eric? I have to work on Monday. Do you know how badly the guys are going to tease me about this?"  
"Just think of it as 'marking my territory' for all those guys to see."  
"Are you jealous because I work in an office with 5 guys?" Eric rolls his eyes.  
"No, I just think you're a little too close to them for comfort."  
"So you decided to mark me so they backed off a bit?"  
"Kind of but so they know that you belong to me, not them."  
"I don't belong to you. I'm not your property. I'm your girlfriend, your equal in this relationship. Plus I've known those guys for 4 years, I've known you just over 1 so of course I'm going to be close to them. They were all I had when I moved here, they're like family to me. You have nothing to worry about and you're fucking crazy if you think so otherwise."  
"I know you're not my property, it wasn't meant to sound like that. But how I am suppose to know you won't be working late one night and one of them is also working late and something happens between the two of you?"  
"Are you for real right now? All but one of them has either a wife or girlfriend of whom I am friends with. Achievement hunter is a family which I am part of. Eric, how many times are we going to have this argument over who I work with? I'm with you, not them. None of them would ever cheat because they all have hearts of gold nor would I cheat because funny enough, I have values."  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I-" His speech gets cut off by his phone ringing. He picks it up off the table and looks at the caller id. He looks at you and while shaking your head, guesture for him to answer it. You understand how important his work is and that most of the time, you can't do anything about it. While Eric takes the call, you decide on a hot shower to calm you down. The water running over you washes away the anger you had and gives you time to breath. You lean your head against the shower wall. You'd had this argument so many times with Eric about the guys, it killed you inside. You loved Eric but you also loved the guys too, in completely different ways. The guys were your family, you couldn't live without them. Eric was a great guy and treated you well, something you were sure wasn't going to happen after your last relationship. You step out the shower and get dressed. As you're sorting your hair out, Eric walks into your bedroom and sits on the edge of your bed, watching you. You feel his eyes on you so you look at him and your suspicion is confirmed.

  
"I want to apologise. I shouldn't be making up shit like I did. I have to learn to trust you and learn that these guys are no threat. To make it up to you, I would like to take you to the track. You can drive any car you want and I'll sit as passenger this time, if you'll forgive me?" You swallow. Did he really mean what he was saying? You had no reason to believe otherwise and were going to trust him like he would be doing with you.  
"I forgive you. And thank you. They are absolutely no threat to you. If they were, there'd be no us." He smiles and nods. You can't help but smile also. Eric stands and makes his way over to you. He takes you in his arms and kisses the top of your head before releasing you to finish getting ready. You're excited about going to the track again. Eric never sits passenger, he always drives his own car so this was a big deal. You discuss which car you'll be driving on the journey down to the track. A mercedes benz 300 slr is the one you decide on. Eric parks the car and you both wander into the office. The man behind the desk recognises you and asks you about the versus that happened yesterday. You chat with him about it all while feeling the tension radiating off Eric. The man asks what car you'll be driving today and you tell him, informing him that Eric will be sitting passenger. He nods and disappears to inform the track staff, leaving you and Eric alone in the track office. You can tell Eric is pissed so you avoid eye contact with him. Eric draws in a breath to say something but the man comes back and tells you you're good to go, adding a wish of good luck directed more at Eric than you. You laugh and Eric smiles, though it's his fake business smile. The car is already at the start line ready for you, a silver older looking car. You give the thumbs up for the lights to start and turn to Eric. "You've never seen me go off the start line have you? Well hold on tight because you're in for a surprise."  
"Oh am I now? Another surprise? Aren't I a lucky guy?" He says sarcastically. You know he's referring to finding out about yesterday but you chose to ignore it.  
"Well you're going to be sorry when you get thrown back in your seat."  
"I bet you're all talk and no action so I'm not going to hold onto anything."  
"Alright businessman, prepare to be amazed." The lights begin lighting up red one by one. You flex your foot on the gas and do some quick glances over the controls again. Two reds to go, one red to go, all green! Your foot goes straight to the floor on the gas and the car rockets off the line. Eric gets thrown back into his seat and out the corner of your eye, you spot him holding onto the door handle which makes you smile. You spend the next hour at the track before heading back to your place. Nervousness creeps in with the knowledge you'll have to answer for your actions. When you get in, you thank Eric for the time at the track and begin to head into the kitchen.

  
"Wait." You stop and turn to face him. "We need to talk. What happened yesterday?" You take a deep breath to buy yourself time to phrase your answer correctly.  
"Well it was my turn to challenge one of the guys to something and because of a conversation I'd had with them two weeks ago, it gave me the idea to challenge them to a race. I knew I would win because of the times you've taken me to the track and I figured it wouldn't be so much of a big deal if I told you before we went again but I forgot. I'm sorry."  
"You took the guys to the track? The place I take you for dates?"  
"Yeah."  
"I can't believe you would do that. After our argument this morning, you made me think I was crazy and stupid for thinking what I did but then I find out you pulled this shit. Am I suppose to believe anything you said this morning?"  
"Am I suppose to believe anything YOU said this morning?"  
"What?"  
"Am I suppose to believe you about needing to learn to trust me? I have given you no reason not to trust me yet you distrust me and the people I work with. You're always on the phone with your assistant. You don't see me starting an argument over it or accussing you of doing things. So why do you do that to me?"  
"First off leave my assistant out of this, you know she only calls me for business related stuff. Secondly, you don't think it's a little weird for a young girl to be working with guys that are all older than her?"  
"No I don't and you know why? Because it's my job. They're not that much older than me plus these guys were established way before I began working there. And I've never had a problem with your single female assistant because I actually respect your work and your commitment to it therefore I put up with the phone calls from her everytime we're together and the long distance crap. Yet you can't handle me working with 5 guys who are all in relatioships that are basically my family. You're so fucking insecure!" Just then, Eric's phone begins to ring. You both just stare at each other until it stops and begins ringing again a few seconds later. Eric pulls it out of his pocket and looks at you for a decision. The tension in the room at this point is palpable. The phone rings and stops once more followed by a minute pause before it begins ringing again. Eric looks at it again then back at you.  
"I'm going to have to answer it."  
"You don't have to do shit."  
"(Y/N)"  
"Fine, I'll tell you what. Answer the fucker but take your shit and leave. I don't want you here anymore."  
"Fine, suit yourself." Eric grabs his overnight bag and slings it over his shoulder. He answers the phone and with one last glance at you opens the door and leaves, slamming the door behind him. You stand there staring at it before you realise a tear running down your face. That was the biggest argument you'd ever had. Were you in the wrong? No, you didn't do anything wrong. Except maybe take the guys to the place you go on a date but one of them could have easily suggested it if they had known about it. You begin making dinner, taking your frustration out on cooking. Once you're finished you decide to eat and watch tv, almost pleading with yourself to calm down. Luckily, it works and you end up going to bed early to sleep off any remaining anger.


	8. Misunderstood

It's Monday, 2 days since your argument with Eric. You hadn't spoken to each other and figured he probably wouldn't for a while. The hickey had gone down a little but it's still purple and obvious. You end up behind Geoff driving to work but decide not to notify him. Geoff parks near the office entrance where as you park about halfway down the parking lot so that you could arrive in the office slightly after him and claim you must have been a few cars behind him. Because it's Monday, there's the Monday morning meeting but you decide to skip it. You didn't really want to be stood in a room with all the RT employees having a gigantic hickey on your neck. It would be embarrassing and you're already not looking forward to the Achievement Hunters teasing you about it, let alone having the entire company doing it. You had no clothing that covered your neck and figured adding something like a scarf would just draw more attention to it so you just went for it and let it be. To keep yourself busy, you got to researching new updates in the games you played and noting down any games you thought would make a good let's play. Of course when the guys came back in, you would be filming AHWU but general updates don't usually make the list so you spend your time looking at what ones you had missed and which ones where coming up. Half an hour later, the 5 guys walk in chatting however you don't see this. You've got your headset on, listening to music probably a little too loud for your ears but you like drowning the world out sometimes. Gavin notifies the guys of his plan then does a forward roll towards you. Michael is slowly creeping towards his desk while the 3 gents are stood in the doorway watching what's about to unfold. Gavin does another forward roll then very slowly stands up to loom over you. His hands are above his head and he brings them down with a huge force onto your shoulders and shouts. You instantly jump in your seat, headset flying off your head. The outside world from your music is the sound of 5 men laughing. You spin round in your chair to see Gavin on the floor laughing his head off. Looking from him to the gents to Michael, you couldn't help but shout at Gavin then join in the laughter. That's why you love these guys, they cheer you up in a instant. You helped Gavin up to his feet, gave him a punch in the arm then a hug. Geoff had the list of games for AHWU and Jack had his announcement book ready so you set up the camera for filming. You opted as camera person, not wanting the world to see your mark. Filming goes fairly smoothly. Your voice was on camera but not your face. Mostly it was yelling at Gavin to stop throwing stuff at you while Jack and Geoff were recording their parts. After AHWU, you went through the list you had made of updates with Geoff before setting up recording for minecraft.

  
All of you were synced and ready to go. Today you were rebuilding your houses in a different part of the world. Geoff had decided that he liked the ocean and that there should be a floating Achievement City out on the ocean somewhere. This was definitely going to be a two parter, if not more. You all set about collecting resources for your houses, taking pictures of the house layouts so you could recreate it perfectly. In the meantime, you were just having general discussions about what you were doing and other things when you felt the conversation shift into dangerous territory.  
Gavin: "So Specs, how was your weekend?"  
Specs: "It was alright, how was yours?"  
Gavin: "It was good, do anything special?"  
Specs: "Not really, what are you trying to get at here Gavin?"  
Gavin: "Nothing, just asking."  
Michael: "Did you get in a fight?"  
Specs: "Do I seem like the type of person to get in a fight?"  
Michael: "No, you don't."  
Geoff: "Did you see Eric this weekend?" You give Geoff a look. You've asked him and the others not to mention Eric's name in let's plays because you didn't want the audience to know you were with someone. While you loved the AH audience, some tend to be nosey and become obsessed with the relationships of RT. You'd rather them just think you're single and tease you about office flirtation that hound after Eric.  
Specs: "Possibly, why?"  
Michael: "Did you get in a fight with Eric?"  
Specs: "Guys, what the fuck is going on?"  
Jack: "I believe they are referring to that beautiful love bite you're sporting." Michael, Gavin and Geoff begin laughing. You knew there was no escaping it but you didn't know it would make you feel this shit. It felt like they were mocking you and you most certainly didn't want that to go in the video. You start debating your next move. Do you stay for the rest of the video and possibly face more mocking or kill capture and take a walk? You chose the latter. Stopping capture, you throw your headphones down on your desk and storm out of the room. You head for the nearest door to outside, walking a little down the building to a spot near the smoking area. If there were ever a time you wanted to smoke, now would be it. You spot Lindsay coming out the same door you did, stop to look around before making her way over to you. You vagely remember the Achievement Hunter support team's door being open as you stormed past it. You're on the verge of crying when she reaches you. She doesn't say anything, just takes you in her arms and hugs you. You hug her back and allow a tear to run down your face. When she releases you, she wipes the tear from your face then takes your hand and leads you to a secluded spot that's covered in grass with a single bench in the middle. She sits you down then sits opposite you, holding your hand. You tell her everything that happened over the weekend, about the hickey, the arguments, the track. You also tell her about your day so far and that it felt like they were mocking you which hit a nerve so hard you had to leave the room. She tells you the guys are idiots but also they don't know what's happened therefore they just saw it for what it was and not the other problems. You feel so silly for leaving the way you did, Lindsay was right. They hadn't known and now you'd made a scene. You tell Lindsay how you feel and she says she'll sort it out, to go back in when you're ready. She stands and gives you a hug before heading back inside.

  
Taking a few deep breaths, you're stood outside the office door. Nervous for what's on the other side, you step forward and begin pressing the door code. It clicks and you pull the door slowly, pausing before opening it the entire way. You step inside to see all of the guys stood around a table, discussing and pointing at something on it. Walking over, you stand behind Gavin who is around the same height as you and look over his shoulder at what they're discussing. It's plans for a new GTA heist. Right now, they're discussing getaway cars. The style of the heist is luxury so the outfits will be designer, the air vehicles will be the gold jet and the newest helicopter but now they're arguing over what getaway cars to use to and from the actual heist. You decide this is the moment to let your presence be known.  
"If I can add, there's a new update coming next week and supposedly, Rockstar are releasing 3 new super cars which they say will be the fastest ones so far for GTAV so we could wait for the update, try the cars out with a few races and use them if we think they're good enough." All the guys are staring at you in silence. You have no idea what to say so you head back to your desk. Someone grabs your wrist and as you spin, you see it's Jack that's holding it.  
Jack: "Lindsay told us everything." All you can do is nod your head as you lower it. Out of everyone in the world, it was these guys you wanted least to see you being weak.  
Michael: "We're really sorry Specs. We never meant to upset you." You look up at them.   
Specs: "I know you didn't. And you don't really have anything to be sorry for. You guys had no idea what happened over the weekend. You just saw this for what it was. I can't blame you for that."   
Geoff: "He's an idiot. Eric I mean not Michael, well." Michael throws Geoff a look. "The main thing is how you feel about us. Not how we feel and not how Eric feels. How YOU feel about the situation."  
Specs: "You guys are my family. You're all I have out here and although you annoy the fuck out of me sometimes, I still love you all. Thank you for being you guys."  
Gavin: "And thank you for being you." You smile. The guys all smile back and embrace you in one giant group hug, you being in the centre. Geoff tells you after you left, he exited minecraft without saving so you could do a fresh recording without the drama. You thank him personally and he gives you a pat on the shoulder before returning to his desk. The guys are setting up for a let's watch and you opt to sit out of this one but will be in the next one. You head next door to thank Lindsay and tell her everything's sorted. She's happy to hear it and tells you to buy her a drink next time you're out. It's a deal and as you head out the room, you bump into someone who catches you by the shoulders. As you step back, you see it's Ryan.  
"Sorry Ryan, I wasn't looking where I was going."  
"It's cool, I'm invisible most of the time." You playfully hit him which makes him laugh and you smile.  
"Shut up, no you're not."  
"Anyway, I just wanted to personally check that you're okay."  
"Special attention from the mad king himself, you going soft Haywood?"  
"Nope, just allowing my crown to slip a little in order to appear like I care. Don't flatter yourself Specs."  
"I never do sir."  
"You know you can tell us anything. We may act like assholes but we're all here for you no matter what."  
"I know I can and I know you all are. But it wasn't something I was going to announce just like that."  
"That's completely understandable. We'll have to think of a code or sign so that something like this doesn't happened again."  
"Like we're all going to remember that. But I like the idea."  
"I'm not just a pretty face you know."  
"Even that's debatable." You say, biting your lip playfully. Ryan makes a shocked face which makes you giggle.  
"What the fuck Specs, I'm just trying to show a little compassion."  
"And in doing so, you've cheered me up. Thanks."  
"Don't mention it. Seriously don't, you know what people are like. And speaking of know, I'm heading over to record 'The Know' so I'll catch you later." Ryan smiles and begins to head for the outside door but turns just before he opens it.  
"Geoff's right by the way."  
"Huh?"  
"Geoff's right about what he said earlier." Ryan doesn't give you a chance to answer and is gone before you've had the chance to ask him what he meant. You head back into the office to continue your game research, listening to the others record the let's watch.

  
3 days later, the versus video between you and Michael comes out. When the guys watched your speech in the car, they couldn't get over what your plan had been all along but they gave you credit for being 'ballsy'. You still hadn't spoken to Eric, it had been almost a week. He texts you towards the end of the day, asking to see you at his place to talk. You tell the guys and Jack says he'll be on stand by in case you need to be picked up. Deciding to wear a nice top, denim shorts and converse, you head over to Eric's house. Adjusting yourself a little, you take a deep breath and ring the doorbell. Eric opens the door and invites you in. He guestures to his dining room where dinner is already served. You turn to look at him in surprise to be greeted with a huge bouquet of flowers. Taking them, you look confused at Eric who points out a vase of water to put the flowers in. You sit down at the dining table and follow Eric's lead of eating. After dinner, he leads you to his study where a familiar looking video is loaded up.  
"I've watched it maybe 4 times already." You look at Eric. He takes your hands and you sit on his desk. "(Y/N) I'm so sorry for my behaviour last weekend. I was completely out of line. Watching this video has made me understand what kind of relationship you have with these guys and I know now that I should not be threaten by them."  
"I told you so many times and all it took was for you to watch a video to believe me?"  
"I know, I know. I should have believed you from the start and I'm incredibly sorry for that. I'm so proud of the way you drove, they really didn't believe you could drive like that did they."  
"I fooled them, I boosted Michael's ego just enough for it to be worth while."  
"You looked stunning as well. How did I get so lucky yet be so foolish with my luck?"  
"Because you're scared of losing me. I know I'm scared of losing you. I never understand why you're with me."  
"Do you want me to play the video again and point out the reasons?" You smile. It sucks that it took a video for Eric to believe you but at least now he would lay the accusations to rest and you could move on from it. He takes your head in his hands and pulls you in for a gentle long kiss. You melt into his touch. He pulls you onto his lap and wraps his arms around you, you do the same around his neck. The kiss ends and you place your foreheads against each other, just listening to the sound of breathing. Eric looks deep into your eyes and smiles, giving you a kiss on cheek before turning back to his screen. He begins playing the video and Geoff's voice fills the room. You rest your head on his shoulder as he begins quizzing you about the planning that went into this and you tell him the driving story, the office antics and how you went about the whole stunt. Everything feels right but the one thing that's still bugging you is what Ryan meant earlier about Geoff being right. You'll have to ask him tomorrow you think.

 


	9. It's Over

It's been about a month since your make-up with Eric. He went away on business a few days after you sorted things out with him and he hasn't come back yet. You've missed him dearly and luckily he's coming back into town the day after tomorrow, though you haven't got anything special planned for it. The guys have been teasing you about your dry spell and how, to quote Gavin, you must be 'gagging for it'. You hit back with insults about their sex lives and that usually silences them but makes the others in the room laugh. Right now it's wednesday and you're recording a GTA let's play. You're finally getting round to racing with the new supercars even though you've already done a let's play with them but that was buying them and getting a feel for them. This let's play is about speed, handling and testing how they fair when hit by other vehicles. All the cars look stunning and you're sure whichever one you guys decide on will be a great addition to your future heist. You set up a playlist of 5 races which with the help of Ryan, have been designed to test the cars on different elements each race. Geoff won the first race, Ryan won the second and now you were all waiting for the third one to load. Your phone begins vibrating on your desk and as you look at it, you see it Eric calling. Lucky for you no one has heard your phone buzzing so you message him to say you're recording and can't answer the phone. Changing it to silent, you put your phone down on the desk and join in the conversation about Gavin coming last two races in a row. You phone flashes up a minute later with Eric saying it's urgent and to call him as soon as possible. It throws you off a little for the rest of the let's play. You end up not winning any races, too worried about what Eric's text message meant. Geoff went on to win two more races which means his car is the one to be used in the heist. The let's play comes to an end and Geoff says there's a ten minute break then to set up for a let's play in a new game. You inform him of Eric's message and he insists you go call Eric right this second. Walking a little down the corridor so you're not within earshot of the office, you call Eric. It's a bit of a delay and as you're about to hang up, he answers.  
  
"Hey, you okay? What's happened?"  
"I'm fine, nothing's happened, everything's fine." You relax. Thank god.  
"Phew, you really had me worried Eric. Don't do that to me! I was in the middle of a let's play and your text really threw me off playing. But it's great to hear from you, I miss you."  
"I miss you too and I apologise for throwing you off, hope I did ruin anything."  
"Nah, we were just testing cars in GTA to use for a future heist so it just meant my car won't get picked which is fine with me, I don't want it getting bashed around by cops anyway."  
"Well you owned those guys in real life in a real car."  
"True but I still have to drive whatever car gets pick so I'll have to practise a little."  
"You're a pro so it'll take you no time." You smile.  
"Thanks Eric, anyway what was so urgent that you needed to talk about?" There's a pause. Eric not speaking has your panic level going into overdrive. You here him take a deep breath.  
"Listen (Y/N), I hate to do this this way but.... I think we shouldn't see each other anymore." You laugh.  
"That's a good one, are you doing this for a dare or something for your business friends?"  
"I'm being serious (Y/N). I don't want to date you anymore. I've already arranged for your stuff to be collected from my place and dropped off at your apartment. You should delete my number after this." You're in shock. This has come straight out of the blue. It's surreal right now.  
"Are..are you in trouble and trying to protect me? Because I can play dumb and keep quiet if you need me to or I can wait for you."  
"No, I'm not in any trouble. Why can't you understand I don't want to be with you?"  
"Because it's so sudden Eric! Where is this coming from? What have I done wrong?"  
"Nothing, you've done nothing wrong."  
"Is it the guys? I know you've never liked them, you're were always so cold towards them whenever I took you to social events and they were nothing but nice to you."  
"What do you expect me to do, be all smiley and friendly with people I don't like? I'm not going to do that."  
"I thought you could do it for me since I'm your girlfriend and you love me. I met your business friends who looked down at me because of my job. At least my friends made an effort."  
"Yeah because playing video games everyday is a job." That hurt and you weren't going to stand for it.  
"It is a job. It pays for my apartment, my car, my bills. I earn money by doing it and I actually enjoy my job. The people I work with are just a bonus. Anything else you want to say openly since you've already insulted and pissed me off?" You knew as soon as the words left your mouth, you shouldn't have asked that.  
"Sure. I've never really loved you. I was looking for a hook up the night we met but since you're not that type of girl, I waited it out. When I met you the next day, you looked like a completely different person. I debated about bailing since I wanted the girl from the night before, not what you looked like the day after. It just happened that I enjoyed your company so I kept seeing you but I've never loved you. I also think you're banging one of the guys at work, you're just so close to all of them that you have to be otherwise it's weird." That was it. You heard more than felt your heart break and tried to hold it together until the end of the phone call. There was one last question you wanted to ask though.  
"Eric, is there someone else?"  
"Don't make this harder than it has to be. I have to go, goodbye (Y/N)"

  
You slide down the wall to the floor, collapsing in a heap. Placing your head on your knees, you unleash what ever emotion you have inside without caring who heard you. Because you don't care anymore. The guy you thought you had finally got it right with had just told you the past year of your relationship had been a lie. Not only that but had taken your weaknesses and used them against you. You began gasping for breath and as you lifted your head, the corridor felt like it was shrinking. You couldn't be here anymore, you had to get out. Steading yourself against the wall, you decide you have to grab your stuff from the office and head home. But if you take too long, the guys will want to talk everything out and right now, you can't do that. You want to be alone to process the last 10 minutes. Punching in the door code with shaky hands, you make a beeline for your desk. You're aware you have tears streaming down your face but you just focus on grabbing your stuff and getting out again. Jack instantly spots you and asks you what's wrong. You ignore him and shove whatever is on your desk into your bag. Michael and Gavin join in asking what's wrong, keeping their distance from you though. You look straight up at Geoff's worried face and tell him you're going home for the day. He tries to talk to you but you're already heading for the door. Gavin grabs your arm to stop you but you shake him off and head out the room. You bump into Ryan and exchange looks of surprised worry and devastation. As you turn to head for the outside door, Ryan grabs you by the shoulders and spins you towards him. The others are at the door and before anyone has a chance to do anything, you step backwards and begin running. You're not much of a runner and shortly into your run, your legs feel on fire but you've stopped caring about anything. You make it through the door and are running for your car while getting your keys ready. Thankfully, you parked quite near to the entrance and it's not long before you're climbing in your car, turning on the engine and pulling out the parking space. For some reason you glance in your rearview mirror and see all of the guys outside. Michael and Gavin are running after you while the gents are stood nearer the entrance. You wipe away your tears in order to safely drive home.  
  
Sure enough, on the step in front of your apartment door is a box with your name on it. You pick it up and unlock the door. Slamming the door behind you, you put the lock on it not wanting anyone to attempt to come in. You throw the box on the sofa and your work bag next to it. Heading into the bedroom, you climb onto your bed and allow your heart to pour itself out. The pain physically hurts and the tears flow freely. The only sounds to be heard are you crying and your phone. Your phone piling up with missed phone calls and text messages from your 5 favourite people, trying to make sure you're okay. It takes everything you have left to text Geoff just to say you're home and safe so that they don't think anything bad has happened to you. Even though it feels like the world is ending right now. You spend all night this way, the memory of the phone call hitting you like a tidal wave over and over again. At some point you feel asleep, exhausted, heartbroken and alone.  
  



	10. The Road to Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warehouse: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ghI2knp4txs/SxDc0yp6unI/AAAAAAAAJn0/nbV5hSEiTI8/s1600/event_lighting_north_american_theatre_technology.jpg_2.jpg
> 
> Dress: http://i1.adis.ws/i/boohooamplience/azz12687_navy_xl?$product_page_main_magic_zoom$

It's been 3 days since your break up and to say you didn't take it well would be the understatement of the century. The only person you've spoken to is Geoff and that was when you sent him a text to say you were home safely. Apart from that it's been just you in your apartment, crying. You haven't even attempted to sort through the box Eric left on your front step because every time you look at it, you hear his voice and the harsh words he said come flooding back. As for your general welfare, you've barely eaten in 3 days. Whenever you shower, you're in there until the water goes cold and even then you stay in. You're dressed in an oversized jumper and leggings going back to bed from the bathroom when there's a knock at your door. Allowing curiosity to get the better of you, you head for the door and look through the peephole. Geoff is stood at the door, looking straight back at you. You didn't really want anyone to see you like this but talking to someone about the break up might help you. Taking a deep breath you unlock the door, turning away so that Geoff doesn't see your face. You hear the door open, footsteps then the door closing. Geoff doesn't make any moves to look at you, merely takes note from afar.

  
"How are you Specs?" You don't know. You honestly don't know. Fresh tears begin to roll down your cheeks. "Can you look at me? I don't care what you look like, I just want to see your face." You pause on this a little but you find yourself slowly turning with your eyes towards the floor. When you look up, you see Geoff's concerned face staring back at you. And you couldn't blame him, your eyes were red and puffy from where you'd been crying for 3 days straight. You see Geoff take in a deep breath while his fists are clenched by his sides. He's pissed at Eric for hurting you.  Geoff takes a step towards you and looks at you for confimation. You nod and he puts his arms around you, holding you tightly. Resting your head on his shoulder, you wrap your arms around him. The rush of love you feel from his hug sets you off crying and instead of letting you go, Geoff just holds you tighter. He begins stroking the back of your head and becomes support when your body becomes weak. Geoff picks you up in a wedding carry and takes you to your bedroom. Once he sits down on your bed, he doesn't release you but let's you sit on his lap and cry into his shoulder. 5 minutes later and the tears cease for now. You thank Geoff and he tells you it's no problem what so ever. The next half an hour is spent with you telling Geoff everything that happened in terms of the break up. Every so often you would well up but your earlier crying spell meant you were all out of tears so you were able to continue talking. Geoff tells you that they were all worried when you came into the office crying and the fact you took off in such a manner scared them, that's why they chased after you. You can tell Geoff is angry and a little hurt by Eric and just know the others will feel the same. He asks what you've eaten and you tell him about 4 items. Geoff gets off your bed and leads you to the dining table, telling you he's making you breakfast then taking you out for a drive. Nowhere special and not to see anyone, purely to get some fresh air. While Geoff isn't the best cook, having breakfast made you feel better. Afterwards, you got dressed and Geoff drove around Austin. You didn't speak, just listened to the radio with the window down taking in the outside world.

  
Geoff walks you to your front door after your 2 hour car journey. You thank him for everything and he says you're like his sister so it's never a problem. He hugs you and gives you a kiss on the cheek then waits until you're inside your apartment before leaving, telling you he'll be back tomorrow to do the same as today. Somehow just those small activities have helped you greatly. Over the next month, the guys help to cheer you up. Jack invites you over for movie nights twice a week. 1 film you get to pick and the other Jack picks. You tend to lean towards newer films that have come out whereas Jack goes old school in an attempt to educate your film knowledge. Michael and Lindsay invite you over for a game night once or twice a week. It varies between a console game and board games. Sometimes Gavin and Meg will come over and the 5 of you play while ordering dinner. Geoff and Griffon invite you over for a drive and dinner on Friday. Geoff drives with you for a few hours after work on a Friday then heads home and cooks dinner with Griffon while you hang out with Millie in Minecraft. Gavin and Meg invite you over to just hang out and chat. Sometimes Meg will want to take you out shopping and buy you new clothes but you only said yes once since shopping isn't your favourite thing. You have to admit, Meg did a good job with the one shopping trip you went on. Ryan comes over to yours sometimes and you just hang out or you order dinner and watch tv. He's mainly there to make sure you're doing okay after work and that you're eating. The guys are all happy to see you back to your regular happy self and waited for your approval before they started teasing you again in the office. It's nice for things to begin to feel normal again even though on the rare occasion you still break down over Eric, the guys are always there to comfort you.  
  
It's 2 months since the break up. You're basically back to normal and are happy again. Rooster Teeth is having a social event at a small warehouse and everyone's invited. It'll be your first social event in a long time but you've decided against going. You're not ready. The guys convince you to go, saying they'll all keep an eye on you. You're a little hesitant but they manage to persuade you to go. Ryan offers to pick you up and drive you there which you accept. That evening you pick one of the dresses Meg bought with you. It's a blue knee length dress with lace sleeves matched with black pumps. Your makeup is subtle, light smokey eyes and clear lipgloss and your hair is curled loosely. It's the first time in a while where you've looked in the mirror and smiled at your appearance. There's a knock at the door and when you answer, Ryan is stood there with a small bunch of flowers for you. Your smile stretches across your face and you notice Ryan with his mouth slightly open.  
"Ryan!" You click your fingers in front of his face. He blinks, a blush creeping over his face knowing he's been caught looking.  
"I'm so sorry. I must be at the wrong apartment again. See we met a few years ago in a similar fashion. I came here to pick up my friend for a social event and instead I found you. It appears we meet again, how have you been these past few years?"  
"I've been good and I've looked forward to seeing you again. Would you care to come inside?"  
"I'm not sure my friend would approve but when have I followed the rules?"  
"That is very true." You smile and step back to let Ryan in. He gives you the flowers and you find a vase to put them in. You chat a little about work, what you're both doing at the weekend and just general stuff. It gets to 9:30 and you decide to head off. The car journey to the venue is quiet, just the sound of the radio filling the car. Once inside the warehouse, you greet Meg and Lindsay along with the rest of the guys. They all compliment you on your outift, Meg especially. All you can do is smile and thank them. Before you know it, the girls are dragging you to the dance area and you allow the music to take over. You spend some of the evening dancing and mingling with people. Mostly it's spent with the guys, your comfort zone. You're glad they convinced you to come out, you needed this. Geoff was buying you drinks, he wasn't planning on getting drunk tonight so he stuck to beer. Jack was dancing with you for a few songs and when he tapped out, you dragged Ryan into the dance area. Being Ryan, he just stood there looking awkward so you picked up his arms and moved them side to side. His feet stay planted on the floor so you put your hands on his hips in an attempt to get him to swing his hips. It kind of worked and when you let go, Ryan was still swinging his hips which made you laugh. Noticing this, Ryan decides to move his arms side to side like you were making him do previously. You're now laughing so hard that your stomach and jaw hurts. Ryan has a big smile on his face and when you come down from your laughing fit, he moves towards you. He puts his hands on your hips and as if automatic, you put your arms around his neck. You feel his hands move to join behind you and he pulls you closer. Ryan is looking deep into your eyes and it seems the music begins to fade away, almost as if it's just the two of you in the room. His eyes flicker from your eyes to your mouth and you can't help but mimick his action. The air is eletric and in this moment, you want to kiss Ryan. You lean forward slightly to state your intentions and Ryan appears to do the same. His hands move from your back to cup your face. You're almost touching noses when the guys and girls join you on the dancefloor, spoiling the moment. You close your eyes and give a defeated half chuckle, feeling something prickly on your forehead. Ryan's played it off as if he was going to kiss your forehead, avoiding embarrassment for the both of you. When he pulls back, you share a smile before Ryan resumes his earlier dance moves that make you giggle and join in.  
  
It's the early hours of the morning and the event is still in full swing. To your left is Jack and Geoff sat at table, drinking and people watching. On your right is Ryan, Meg and Lindsay talking. You're stood talking to Michael and Gavin about the latest Game of Thrones season. Michael begins describing a scene and how he thinks it's going to play out in a later epsiode. You notice Gavin staring at something to the side of you but you continue to talk with Michael. Suddenly Gavin nudges Michael, causing a few choice words to be spoken before Gavin directs Michael's gaze at something. Michael instantly stiffens, his fists become clenched. Concerned, you turn around to see what they're staring at. Holy fucking shit! Eric is stood about 10 feet from you, gazing straight at you. The others seemed to notice also as have the rest of the guests here because the music suddenly stops. Geoff is by your side in a instant, Jack just behind him. Michael steps around you and walks towards Eric.  
"You've got some fucking nerve being here after what you've done."  
"I did nothing but tell the truth. So are you the one she's been fucking? I would say she could do better but by the looks of you all, I'd say you're all as bad as each other." Michael pulls his fist back to swing at Eric but Jack dashes forward just in time to stop him and drag him backwards. Ryan on the other hand marches forward and punches Eric in the face. There's a audible gasp from everyone, even you. Eric gets knocked to the floor and this time Geoff runs forward to pull Ryan back. You expected this behaviour from Michael but never Ryan. Eric sits up and wipes blood from his mouth. "You got a whole crew protecting you. Maybe I was wrong, maybe you're fucking all of them. I always knew you were that type of girl. You always play so innocent yet you're just a slut who will sleep with anyone to get a job. Which by the way isn't even a real fucking job." You could feel the anger rising inside you. No way were you going to stand here and be insulted or have your friends insulted. Enough was enough. You go to take a step forward but Gavin puts his hand on your shoulder. He gives you a worried look and you give him a reassuring look. Michael and Ryan are still being kept back by Jack and Geoff, all are also giving you a concern look. Gavin removes his hand from your shoulder, running it down your arm in a comforting manner. Turning back to face Eric who has now stood up, you walk slowly towards him.

  
"Are you crawling back already? So fucking easy. You see, she'll always pick me over you because I'm worth triple what you are all worth combine. She knows a real man whe-"

  
"ERIC!" You give a sharp heavy sigh. Eric is taken back by the way you cut him off. "You are not allowed to come here and ruin my evening. I'm not nor have I ever been sleeping with any of my co-workers. We don't just play video games for a job, Rooster Teeth is so much more than that. These guys that I'm supposedly sleeping with have been there for me since the second I stepped into their office. I say they're the closest thing to a family I have, that's wrong. They are my family. Are you really that deluded that you expected them to just stand there while you insulted me? They are real men. They're not cowards who hide behind their egos like you do. Real men stand by their partners no matter what, not slate every part of their life. And if they choose to end a relationship, real men do it in a dignified way. Not over the fucking phone in the middle of work. These people here picked up the mess you left and I count myself lucky to have these people in my life. But clearly you have nothing if you had to come here and ruin other peoples' nights. Now either we continue this conversation outside and salvage what's left of the evening for everyone or I call security and get you escorted out the building. I might be crazy but I'm not stupid nor a slut. It's your fucking call."  
The room is silent. You're just staring at Eric waiting for his answer, your arms crossed over your chest. Eric looks at the guys behind you then back at you. He heads for the exit but not before throwing one last insult at the guys. You look back at the guys. Jack and Geoff have released Michael and Ryan while Gavin is stood with the girls, all of them looking at you. You give them a reassuring smile and although their expressions don't change, you also head for the exit. Taking a deep breath, you open the door to outside and locate Eric just down the building towards the parking lot. You hear the music resume and it gives you a little relief. Eric is pacing back and forth but when you approach him, he stops and faces you. You're looking everywhere but him trying to gather together what you want to say.  
"What are you doing here Eric? Apart from continuing to insult me."  
"I want you back. I want you to be my girlfriend again." You're stunned. After everything he's said and done, he wants to get back with you?  
"Are you fucking serious or are you messing me around?"  
"I'm deadly serious. Letting you go was the worse decision I made. I never meant any of the things  I said."  
"What about just now? It's been 2 months since we broke up and the second you're back, you're insulting me again."  
"I'm really sorry. Seeing you with them just brings out the worse in me. I don't know why I said any of those things, they really are a nice bunch of guys. And I know you'd never cheat or sleep around, that was a horrific thing for me to say." The exit door opens and you turn to see it's Ryan. He's looking around for you but when he spots you, he observes from a distance. Eric has also spotted Ryan. "Can I give you a ride home? At least let me do that so the guys can enjoy the rest of their evening and we can talk more." You take a deep breath. Everything in your body is screaming no, to walk over to Ryan and leave Eric. But that small part of you that still loves Eric encourages you to accept it. Eric opens the passenger car door and waits. You take a step towards it and before you know it, he's driving you home.  
  
Back at your apartment, you're both sat on the couch. Eric explains that work was just getting really stressful and he ended up taking it out on you. He read a soppy text message from you that morning and decided he didn't want to be with you. The next day he realised what he had done but figured there was no relationship left so went no contact. Until a few days ago when he missed you so badly that he got his assistant to find if Rooster Teeth were hosting any social events in the future. When he found out about tonight's one, he cleared his schedule and went to the event in hopes of winning you back. But seeing you surrounded by the guys fucked everything up that he was going to say and so landed him a punch from Ryan. You're more understanding of the situation now however you notice how close Eric has suddenly become. Before you know it, his lips are on yours. You quickly pull away but the damage is done and you kiss Eric back. The kiss is passionate and things escalate quickly. Eric picks you up and takes you to the bedroom. You've never had make up sex, if this is even what it was but it was incredible. Eric made you feel like he had to have you or he'd die. Afterwards you had a mixture of emotions flowing through you. Regret, anger, love, happiness and a little shame. 5 minutes after your sex session, Eric's phone begins ringing which he ignores the first time but answers the second. It's his assistant and he walks out of the bedroom, picking his clothes off the floor as he goes. You look at the clock on your nightstand. It's fucking 2:30am, why is she calling him now? Grabbing some clothes, you wander into the living room to find Eric fully dressed ending his phone call. He says he has to head home but will call you soon. You walk him to your front door and he gives you a kiss before heading out.

 

  
  
What the fuck have you done?

 

 


	11. You did what?!

It's Monday, two days after the social event. Two days since you hooked up with your ex-boyfriend Eric. The guy who insulted everything about you yet you were stupid enough to sleep with him again. Man, love makes you do stupid things. You made a stand against him in front of all your friends and co-workers then went and fucked him. Why didn't you just walk back to Ryan when you had the chance? You put your pillow over your face and yell into it. It helps a little of the emotion out but you know the day is already over before it even had the chance to begin.

  
You're a little late getting to work, turns out you had overslept and debating your weekend antics unaware of the time was probably not the best thing to do. Unfortunately for you, all the guys are in the office when you walk in. Quietly, you make your way to your desk and begin unpacking stuff from your bag. No one acknowledges you and you're relieved but then it dawns on you that it's awfully quiet so you look up. The gents are looking in your direction but not at you and before you have time to turn around, Gavin jump scares you from behind making you literally jump. You turn around and flick Gavin straight in the crotch, making the brit double over and crumple into a heap on the floor. The room is filled with laughter and you feel a little bad at the state Gavin is in on the floor but you continue to sort your desk out. Once the brit has recovered, you all head off to the Monday morning meeting and when you return, you set up for AHWU. While Geoff is reading out the list of games, you and Gavin take turns throwing things towards Ryan's desk in an attempt to get him on camera. You throw a tennis ball and from nowhere, Ryan lifts his hand and catches it without looking. Both you and Gavin has amazed expressions on your face which Ryan quickly wipes off by lining up a return shot. You're confident he'll go for Gavin instead of you however Ryan takes it a step further. He throws the tennis ball which hits Gavin's stomach, the brit falling on the floor clutching his stomach. You're staring at Gavin on the floor when a pair of arms wrap around your waist, spinning you towards the owner. Ryan grabs your right arm and puts it behind his neck as he bends and lifts you onto his shoulder. You begin a mixture of laughing and crying out for help while Ryan parades you around the room. He walks in the direction of Geoff and stands next to him so that your ass is facing the camera. Geoff looks to his right and laughs, Ryan standing there proudly with his catch. Jack makes a remark about dead by daylight and Ryan says he's off to find a hook for you. You cry out but Ryan is already heading for the door while the lads shout of cries of "no" and the gents laugh. Ryan takes you out of the office and you assume he'll put you down but he heads for the door to the parking lot. The warm Austin air hits you as Ryan continues his stoll. You hit his butt and to your surprise, he hits yours back. Ryan laughs at your reaction and says he can't seem to locate a hook. Your feet get reconnected with the floor and you realise Ryan made it to the parking lot entrance with you on his shoulder. You lightly punch Ryan in the arm and make a run for it. The sound of heavy feet quickly catch up to you so you run to the left to throw him off. Unluckily Ryan has quick reflexes so instantly followed you. His arms wrap around your waist once more as he picks you up and swings you around. You can't help but laugh, adrenaline pumping through you. When he sets you down, you throw your arms around Ryan to give him a massive hug. There's just something about Ryan that makes you feel you can be the true you without any judgement. You both head back to the office, you jumping on Ryan's back for a piggyback. Once things had returned to normal and you had made it back to the office, you all set about doing your own thing.

  
"So Specs..."  
"So Geoff..."  
"What happened Saturday? You just disappeared." Crap, the one thing you'd been dreading.  
"Eric offered me a ride home so you guys could continue enjoying your night."  
"Uh huh. And then?"  
"And then we talked about what happened that night and about the break up."  
"That it?"  
"That's it." The room is silent once more. Thank god.  
"Hey Specs."  
"Yes Jack."  
"I think I speak for everyone that night in saying well done for the way you handled the situation. We're really proud of you and thanks for sticking up for us."  
"You guys mean the world to me, I should be thanking you all for the way you rushed to my defence. It was overwhelming and made me feel incredibly loved."  
"We got your back Specs." You smile at Michael.  
"And I have all of yours." He smiles back at you then returns to what he was doing. Just behind him, Gavin is looking at you with a curious look on his face. "Gavin, what's up?"  
"You know, I'm just going to come right out and say it. I think you slept with Eric that night. Just a feeling I have."  
"Jesus Gavin!"  
"I was only saying it Geoff, doesn't mean it's true." All the guys look at you. You keep your eyes fixed on your screen, not really looking at it. They're going to figure it out.  
"Specs, please tell me Gavin is wrong and you didn't sleep with Eric." You look straight into Geoff's eyes. The look you give him tells him everything. He leans back into his chair and shakes his head, muttering something under his breath. The rest of the guys don't have better expressions. "Explain yourself right now!" You take a deep breath in.   
"He said that every insult he ever said wasn't true, that he was very sorry and wanted me to give him another chance. When I asked him about what happened at the social event, he said that you guys bring out the worse in him. He never meant to break up with me, he was just stressed at work and took it out on me. When we were back at my apartment, he kissed me and things went from there."  
"Did he stay the night?"  
"No, he left at like 2:30am because his assistant called." The guys are all in utter disbelief. No one is saying a thing.   
"Specs........... I don't even know what to say right now."  
"I know, I don't know why I did it."  
"Because you still love him." Jack gives you a sympathetic look. You give him a weak smile. Ryan stands abruptly from his desk and marches out the room, slamming the door behind him.   
"Specs, you are worth so much more than him. The fuck left in the middle of the night after he fucked you. He made you feel cheap and you shouldn't be with a guy like that." Michael has a point. You did feel pretty shitty after he left but that's because of the way the evening had gone after his show in front of all your friends.  
"Plus all the stuff he said is probably crap anyway in an attempt to get you back. He said some really mean stuff not just about you personally but about your job, your friends. I bet he was just horny and wanted someone to bang. Sadly, he knew exactly how to pull your strings and he got what he wanted."  
"That's not true Gavin."  
"Has he called you since?"  
"Well no bu-"  
"My point exactly. Why can't you see he's messing you around?"  
"Enough! I'm not discussing this further. You all have your opinions and I have mine so why don't we just leave it at that and move on?"  
"Specs, we say these things because we care about you and don't want to see you get hurt."  
"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." There's a thick layer of tension in the room. These guys are just trying to make sure you don't get burnt by this asshole a second time. They are not the ones you should be making enemies of. "But thank you. I didn't mean to snap, I'm just so conflicted right now."  
"Well only you will know what to do. And forget about it, I've had it worse." You smile at Gavin. You all return back to what you were doing and Ryan comes back 10 minutes later. He avoids all eye contact with you but will speak to you if you speak to him first. You can't figure out why he's acting like this, it's not like sleeping Eric upset him more than the others. Right?  
  



	12. Missing in Action

It's nearly 10am the next day. Everyone is at the office. Michael and Gavin are looking for games to play for their next play pals video. Jack and Ryan are discussing an announcement a games company made and Geoff is talking with Lindsay about the next Achievement Hunter videos. Half an hour later Geoff walks into the room and tells everyone to set up their machines for recording although he isn't sure which video they're filming for yet. Gavin points out that Specs hasn't come in yet. It's out of character for her to be this late. Michael tries ringing Specs but there's no answer. The guys begin to worry something's happened. Jack offers to drive to her apartment since he has her spare key. While he's driving, Michael tries calling her again and Geoff tries to keep everyone calm while panicking on the inside. 20 minutes later, Jack calls Geoff to say Specs isn't at her apartment and her car's gone but none of her stuff is packed. Ryan suddenly has an idea of where she is and dashes out of the room. Sure enough, his hunch paid off and he finds Specs' car at the top of the hill. Ryan walks towards the bench he knows Specs can see from her spot. While looking around for her, he spots a small gap between some bushes and takes a gamble on it. He comes across a beautiful secluded spot with a single bench and a young girl staring out at the city. Ryan breathes a sigh of relief at finding Specs and texts Geoff to let him know he's found her but they won't be back for a while. Ryan approaches the bench and Specs glances up at him. His faces falls when he sees her wet cheeks and red eyes. She's been crying. Ryan sits down beside her, taking her hand in his.  
"I'm such an idiot Ryan. How could I be so stupid?"  
"You're not an idiot or stupid Specs. What's happened?"  
"Want to take a wild guess?"  
"Eric?"  
"That fucker. I went to his office after work yesterday to surprise him and caught him making out with his assistant. Turns out everyone knew he was playing me. He's got a friends with benefits situation with his assistant. The night he met me, he was just looking for a hook up but because I have more respect than sense, he waited it out until I put out. He stuck around because he "enjoyed my company". What fucking bullshit. The reason he broke up with me the first time was because his assistant was jealous and in order to keep her happy, he broke my heart. When he came to 'win me back', it was because his assistant wasn't giving him any and he was lonely. So he thought he could spurt all that crap about how sorry he was and he never meant to break my heart in hopes I've give in. And I bought it all hook, line and sinker. I knew, I fucking knew I shouldn't have gone home with him. But I loved him so I believed him. You know all those times his assistant called were her asking him to come over or to meet at his place and fuck? God, I'm fucking stupid. What is it about me that guys want to cheat? My boyfriend before Eric cheated on me then Eric did it. What the fuck is wrong with me Ryan?" Fresh tears start spilling down your face.

  
You couldn't believe what you had seen when you had walked into Eric's office. The people outside were giving you looks but you just assumed it was because they saw you as lower than them. Nope. You opened the door to see his assistant sat on his lap, him stroking her exposed thigh fully making out with each other. The only reason they stopped was because you slammed the office door behind you. Eric didn't look the least bit guilty while his assistant looked sheepish. You screamed at him, demanded to know how long it had been going on. That's when he told you everything. From before you knew each other to the night you met and after the coffee date. Everything had been a lie. He'd been cheating the entire time and knew just how to play you. The whole time he was telling you this, his assistant just stared at you almost as if she was sizing you up. You held it together, you didn't break once because you didn't want either of them having the satisfaction of seeing you weak. After he was finished, you told Eric exactly what you thought of him. How you hoped he would never break another person's heart the way he did with yours. You go to leave but just before you do, you tell Eric that his assistant is fucking his boss as well in hopes of getting a promotion. One of the times Eric had taken you to a business function, you had overheard his co-workers discussing Eric's assistant and how clueless he was that his boss was screwing her as well. The look on Eric's face was more than pleasurable to you and you held your head high as you left his office. But once you had gotten back to your car, the reality hit you and you were crying in your car. Your body had gone into autopilot and you'd driven to your spot. It was early evening when you had arrived here and you had ended up staying here overnight. You knew the guys would eventually figure out you had gone and your thoughts were confirmed when your phone started blowing up with missed calls and messages. What you hadn't counted on was Ryan not only remember this place but actually finding your spot. You were surprised to see him standing next to you.

  
Ryan pulls you into a hug and you sob into his chest. He just holds you tightly until you calmed down. You pull back and he wipes the tears away from your face. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you (Y/N). Those guys were the idiots, not knowing what they had. You are beautiful, intelligant, courageous, hilarious and confident. If they can't see that, they don't deserve your time or affection. You are worth so much and should be with someone who knows what he has when he's with you." You smile. Ryan is such an amazing guy, how is he not with someone? You see him take a deep breath and close his eyes. When he opens them, he's looking directly into yours. "I guess I have to thank Eric for being an asshole and  letting the best thing in his life go."  
"What the fuck, why?"  
"Because now, if she'll have me, I get to be the best thing in her life. I'll make sure she's happy and that she knows how much I cherish her. I will never let anything happen to her and I will never let her go. (Y/N), you've been the best thing in my life since the day I met you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short one but he finally told her! So I'll warn you now, next chapter is a looooooooong one but you'll see why when you read it.
> 
> I'll be posting the next chapter in a few weeks. It's half written and I need the time to finish it plus the chapter after that.


	13. My life with Specs so far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's an extremely long chapter consisting of 5 stories set from Ryan's point of view of previous chapters. I've divided them up so you can read one and come back and not have lost your place. Or settle in and read the entire thing in one go. Either way, enjoy!

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meeting Specs

It was just another day in the office. Gavin was being his usual whiny self in Ryan's mind. Luckily though, he had the patch that would allow him a break from Gavin. The guys were setting up to record so Ryan announced he was heading off which got met with some rude remarks and left the office. The patch went fairly smoothly, Ryan only flubbed the usual amount which was pointed out frequently by either Meg or Ashley. It's 12:10pm when the patch has finished recording. It wasn't one of the longer episode but it was full of content, just happened there wasn't a lot to discuss this recording. As Ryan walks back into the office, he notices everyone grabbing their things as if they were leaving. Confused, Ryan heads further into the room.  
"Hey, what's going on?"  
"We're going out to lunch if you'd like to join us?"  
"Alright, what's the occasion?"  
"She's standing right there." Geoff points in a direction to a person Ryan's never seen before. Ryan does a double take. She is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen before. Her (Y/H/C) hair swept into a ponytail, her (Y/E/C) eyes staring straight at him, that smile. Ryan quickly took note of what t-shirt she was wearing and curses on the inside. Why did it have to be that t-shirt?  
"Hi, I'm (Y/N) and I'm the newest Achievement Hunter." She takes a step towards him and extends her hand to him. Ryan attempts to say his name back and welcome but the words trip over themselves on the way out of his mouth. "You call yourself the Fry lord? More like the Flub lord." Ryan is baffled but a defeated smile appears on his face. He hears the guys' laughter and the sound of a laugh he doesn't recognise. It's coming from (Y/N). He takes in the way she looks when she's giggling and it's a thing of beauty.  
"Geoff, I love her already. Let's go Specs!" Jack says as he puts an arm around (Y/N) and heads for the door.  
"Specs, why is she called Specs."  
"Because Ryan, not only can I kick your ass at speaking but I own you at fixing pcs. That and the fact I wear glasses. I'm hoping this nickname won't catch on though." The guys laugh once more and Ryan can't help but join in. How has he known this girl for less than 5 minutes yet she can take his breath away in an instant? What Ryan didn't count on was falling for her by the end of the day. And falling hard.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Tonight's the night!

Tonight was one of Rooster Teeth's infamous social events. Ryan was never too keen on going out to them but ever since Specs had come onto the scene, he was going out more if it meant he could spend extra time with her. He hadn't been ready to take that step and ask Specs out on a date but tonight that was about to change. Ryan asked Geoff who was Specs' ride for the evening and when he said it hadn't been decided, Ryan ask if he could do it. He'd confided in Geoff a few months back though he presumed Geoff already figured it out. It was all set and Ryan was excited. Shit, now he'd actually have to put some effort into what he'd be wearing. He went for a smart casual look, a navy blue jacket over a white shirt and tie, dark jeans and nice shoes. That should do it. While making dinner, Ryan's phone goes off.

  
Specs: "Haywood you pick me up tonight? You're my date for this evening, hope that's okay?" Ryan rolls his eyes. Not her too.  
Ryan: "Really Specs, 'Haywood you pick me up tonight'? And sounds good to me, what time should I be at your place?" After some back and forth texting, Ryan finishes dinner, gets dressed and heads out. He gets to Specs' apartment 5 minutes to 9 but figures it's no big deal being early. Ryan walks up to her door and rings the bell. A noise from an apartment behind him makes Ryan turn around and look in the direction it came from. The door in front of him opens, catching Ryan's attention. Oh my god. Specs looks drop dead gorgeous and unrecognisable. Gone are her glasses and instead is the face of a model. She looks good in red and the dress suits her perfectly. Ryan can't get over how stunning Specs is, it's possibly he fell in love with her a little bit more just at the sight of her.  
"Yes sir, can I help you?" She asks sweetly. Ryan suddenly becomes aware he's been staring at her with his mouth open and she's noticed. He tries to comprehend the question and think of a response without fucking up.  
"I...er...." He clears his throat before composing himself the best he can. "I'm looking for my friend, we're suppose to be heading out together tonight but I think I have the wrong apartment. Forgive me." If she wants to play, it's on. He turns to walk away but his tie pulls him in a different direction. He realises it's Specs and the feeling resonates in a specific place. He takes in a deep breath and allows Specs to pull him into her apartment. God damn that was sexy of her to do. Once inside, she releases his tie and Ryan closes the door behind him, waiting for her to make the next move.  
"No, you have the right place. Do I look that bad?" Specs does a small spin and Ryan can't help but admire her body as she spins.  
"No, you look stunning. Gorgeous. Sexy." Ryan tries to keep the turned on part of him out of his voice but a small bit escapes. He sees Specs blinks a little longer and thinks she may of heard it as well.  
"Jesus Ryan. I only threw on a nice dress and heels with a bit of make-up. Calm yourself." Shit, maybe she did but doesn't feel it back.  
"I'm sorry if I overstepped a boundary. You're just breath-taking."  
"You didn't but seriously, let's try to cool things down."  
"Right, you said something about a lesson?" Ryan is intrigued as to what social rules he needs to learn.  
"Yes, you've passed the first part: Complementing your date. Secondly, your outfit needs a little work. Lose the tie completely." Ryan nods and begins undoing his tie. As he undoes the knot, he catches Specs biting her lip slighty. So maybe she was affected after all.  
"Specs!" She jumps a little and Ryan can't help but smile at her reaction.  
"Shut up Ryan. You look a lot better now. So when you go to these kind of events, it's important to work the room. There will be a bunch of people from the company there so make an effort to speak to most of them. Check in with the guys but be sure to talk to other people as well. Since you are my date for this evening, we'll need to be in close contact so that if I need rescuing, it's believable that you are my boyfriend. Out of curiousity, when was the last time you were a boyfriend to someone?"  
"Should I be worried you didn't say woman, you said someone? And I don't know. Like 5 years ago. Just after I started working at RT. She couldn't understand why I'd want to play video games everyday for a job." Ryan couldn't stand it whenever someone questioned his job or claimed playing video games everyday for work wasn't a real job.  
"DuUUude. 5 years? That's....same as me actually. I was moving to Austin and he didn't want to come with me. Was with a new girl the day I left so I'd say I dodged a bullet there."  
"I'm sorry, that must have sucked."  
"Not really. Well, at the time is stung but they've got like 4 kids now and both cheat on each other the last I heard so I'm good. Plus I have you guys and nothing is better than that. Sex, maybe but I haven't had that in so long soooo I'm just going to shut up now." Ryan sees Specs cheeks slightly tint red. It's cute and he appreciates her sharing something personal with him. She walks over and bends slightly to grab her purse, giving Ryan the perfect chance to check out her ass. Specs walks back to Ryan and links her arm through his. "You ready babe?" Ryan raises his eyebrow at the pet name, it's not really his kind of style but for her, he'll let it slide.  
"Ready when you are, dear." He smiles widely. Two can play this game. Specs looks a little longer at Ryan than usual and it takes everything in him not to bend down and kiss her. He leads her out to his car, opening the door for her to climb in before walking round to his side. Ryan's a careful driver but with a beautiful passenger beside him, it's difficult to not steal looks at her when he has the chance. There are few times he looks at her without her seeing but most of the time, he makes eye contact with her. He reaches the bar and by the looks of things, everyone's already here. Ryan opens Specs' door and helps her out of his car. Whilst walking towards the entrance, Ryan offers his hand instead of his arm which Specs takes and their fingers interlock with each other. He's feeling confident as to how the night is going to go. Inside the bar, Ryan spots the crew and it's clear they don't recognise Specs. He exchanges a look with her, a silent agreement in thought, and puts his arm around Specs' waist. She leans into him, placing her hand on his chest. Ryan slightly panics, fearing she might feel how fast his heart is beating being this close with her but calms himself by placing a kiss on the side of her head. Her hair smells incredible. They end up laughing together and when they reach the booth, the entire table looks confused.

  
"Guys. And ladies. I'd like to introduce my girlfriend. Dear, this is Geoff, my boss, Jack, Gavin, Michael, Michael's wife Lindsay and Gavin's girlfriend Meg." The crew greets Specs as if she was a stranger and she slips into the seat next to Meg, Ryan grabbing a spare stool. Geoff is the first one to break the awkwardness.  
"Where have you been hiding her Ryan, in your hole with Edgar? May I ask if you have a name?" Specs looks at Ryan and all Ryan can do is nods for her to reveal all. He can't wait for this.  
"What's the matter Ramsey, don't recognise your own employee?" All 6 pairs of eyebrows raise as high as they can. Ryan and Specs burst out laughing, high fiving the fact they convincingly pulled off they were a couple. Everyone begins conversations in different groups but every so often, Ryan glances at Specs and finds her looking straight back at him. He's talking to Geoff and Jack when a hand lands on his shoulder. Turning around, he finds it's Specs. She tells him the plan, followed by what her distress signal is and the fact he should mingle with other RT people. Ryan places his hand over hers, feeling the touch of her soft skin. He lifts it off his shoulder and kisses it lightly. When releasing her hand, Ryan notices a look of Specs' face but before he has time to work out what it is, she's being dragged off to the dance floor by Meg and Lindsay. The guys are all drawn towards the girls dancing. Ryan can't take his eyes off Specs. Watching her look so carefree and happy, it makes Ryan feel whole again. In the space of a year, she's bought light into his life and he wants nothing more than to make her feel the way he feels. Geoff gentles nudges his shoulder and when Ryan looks at him, Geoff has an expression of knowing how Ryan is feeling. Ryan smiles back at Geoff then turns his attention back to Specs. She's looking in his direction and whispering to the girls who both look at him. He becomes a little paranoid about what she could be saying but then watches as she ends up in between Meg and Lindsay dancing. Ryan glances towards Michael and Gavin whose jaws are on the floor and when Ryan looks back, Specs is kissing Lindsay. Now Ryan's mouth is also open and he feels a little sting of seeing the woman he secretly loves kissing someone else, even if it is married woman and his friend. He watches as she's turned and kisses Meg, the sting subsiding when he realises they're doing it to tease the guys. Ryan turns back to Geoff and Jack, making conversation while overhearing Michael and Gavin discussing what they've just witnessed. Meg and Lindsay return to the booth and sit on their partner's laps and before he has time to wonder where she is, Specs sits on Ryan's lap and wraps her arms around his neck. His arm naturally ends up around her waist, his other hand resting on her knee. He's in disbelief that he's in this situation right now but loves it.  
After a while, Specs makes her way off Ryan's lap. She points towards the bar then holds the finger up to signal 1 minute. Ryan takes her finger and while looking her in the eye, kisses the tip of it. He sees her bite her lip and it intrigues him. Raising an eyebrow in the hopes she'll explain, he's disappointed when she hurries off to the bar. Meg pulls him into their conversation and he has no choice but to move on from Specs' reaction to the kiss. It's been 20 minutes and she still hasn't come back. Since Lindsay was heading that direction, Ryan asks her to look out for Specs. When Lindsay returns, she informs Ryan that she spotted Specs sitting with a handsome looking guy drinking. The guys and Meg comment on how it would be good for Specs to meet a nice guy. It feels like a knife to the heart for Ryan. He's grateful for the dimmed lighting so that it's hard to tell his expression is one of sadness. Geoff places his hand on Ryan's shoulder and gestures to follow him, making an excuse to the others that they're heading to the bar to buy a round of drinks.

  
"Dude what's going on with you?"  
"She's currently sat talking to another guy. I really thought tonight was my night Geoff."  
"I know but you never know, she may decide after tonight she doesn't want to see the guy. You just have to be patience with her."  
"I just.....I love her Geoff. I'm crazy about her."  
"Whoa, I didn't know you love her. I just thought it was a crush type thing. Well then we better get you guys together, don't want a mopey Ryan in my office."  
"Thanks Geoff." Geoff pats Ryan on the back and the two wait by the bar.  
The night is coming to an end and Ryan still hasn't seen Specs. He looks around the bar for her and sees her just in time to see her kiss a guy on the cheek. They laugh at something and Ryan heads outside, needing to clear his head before driving her home. Everyone is stood outside chatting about work and Ryan spots Specs slightly shivering. He removes his jacket and places it around her shoulders. She takes the corners and pulls them closer together, looking at him and smile. Unfortunately his underlying annoyance gets the better of him and he accidentally glares back at her. They say bye to the crew and Ryan puts his arm around Specs while he walks her back to his car. The journey is silent and Ryan just knows she's going to think something is off with him so he decides to rip the band aid off.  
"So I saw you talking to that guy. Anything there?" He's pretty sure if the silence didn't give anything away, his tone of voice just did.  
"Maybe. He seems nice. He's a businessman and lives 10 minutes from me. But I just met the guy. He said he'll text me tomorrow." Great. How can he ever compete with that?  
"That's nice."  
"Ryan, what's up? This isn't you." It breaks his heart a little hearing this. He's not trying to be off, it's just what happens when the person you love is interested in someone else.  
"I'm...just....tired. Can't wait to go to sleep." Ryan hopes she buys it and when she doesn't say anything more, he takes it that she did. He pulls up at her apartment but doesn't instantly get out. Instead, he turns the car off.  
"Everything okay?"  
"Yeah, I just turned the car off so I wouldn't wake up the neighbors. Would you like me to walk you up?" Although he's not happy with the situation, Ryan still wants to make sure Specs is safe.  
"It's okay. You said you were tired and I wouldn't want you to crash or anything on your drive home."  
"I'll manage. Come, I'll walk you up." Once out of the car, Ryan offers his arm to Specs. Reaching her apartment, she opens the door and turns to face Ryan.  
"Well this is me. Thanks for everything tonight, I had a really great time. And for the record, you were a perfect gentleman, something lost nowadays." He smiles. She noticed something romantic he did. Maybe there is hope.  
"Thanks and thank you for teaching me about how to be sociable. I won't forget tonight anytime soon."  
"Well, goodnight Ryan."  
"Goodnight.....(Y/N)." Ryan leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek but she goes the exact same way and they accidentally kiss on the lips. Even though it's a accident, Ryan revels in the way her lips feel but before it begins, she pulls away. He apologies as does she and they both laugh it off, settling for a hug instead. Ryan sneaks in a kiss on her neck, taking in the way she smells and how soft her skin is before heading for his car. He can't believe it. He'd finally kissed her, it's a step in the right direction. Just have to hope that guy from tonight doesn't contact her in the morning. Ryan has the biggest smile on his face and a slight spring in his step. He imagines what kissing Specs for real would be like and it makes his heart beat fast. Ryan wonders how she feels about him but figures he will never know unless he asks. Something to ponder over on his Sunday drive he thinks, turning the key in the ignition and driving home, the memories on tonight already burned into his mind.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
My favourite work friend

Ryan wakes with a smile on his face. He had finally kissed Specs, the girl he'd been in love with for the past year. Unfortunately it had been an accident so he was basically back to square one. Ryan's smile faded. He had to tell her at some point how he felt about her. But today was not that day. Today Ryan would be designing and testing a GTA map for a future let's play. It's around 4:30 in the afternoon. Ryan has created the map and tested it a few times but is about to call it a day to make dinner when his phone receives a text. Ryan's face lights up when he sees who it's from.  
Specs: "Hey Ryan, you left something here yesterday which needs to be claimed. Fancy coming over and getting it?" Is she flirting with him? What could he possibly have left behind apart from her?  
Ryan: "Are you talking about yourself?"  
Specs: "Ha. Ha. No, I have your jacket here and I don't want to bring it in to work with me. Can you get it?" Ryan wondered where his jacket had got to but figured he had left it in his car.  
Ryan: "Like right now? I was thinking about having dinner."  
Specs: "Yes right now before either of us forgets and we can order in some dinner here for both of us. Just get over here!"  
Ryan: "Geez, someone's desperate to see their favourite work friend."  
Specs: "Oh Geoff's with you too? ;)"  
Ouch! While Ryan knows it's probably a tease, it still stings. He decides to grab pizza on the way over to Specs' place since he knows what her favourite style of pizza is. He learned it at the first pizza party Specs' had been to and they had ended up sat next to each other. He grabbed a bottle of soda as well and headed off to Specs' place. While driving, Ryan decided he would play Specs at her own teasing game and see how she likes it. When Specs opens the door, Ryan as always couldn't help but admire her appearance but quickly remembered his plan.  
"Geoff's just parking the car, he'll be here in a minute."  
"Oh, I was joking earlier. I didn't think he was actually with you." She steps aside, allowing Ryan in. It sounded like she was a little upset at the thought of Geoff being here also. Ryan ponders over the thought as he lays out dinner on her coffee table then walks back over her.  
"He wasn't but when you said he was your favourite work mate, I made sure he joined us."  
"I was joking Ryan, you shouldn't take everything I say so seriously."  
"Well then it's a good job I didn't invite him then. I really had you going for a second then." Ryan couldn't help but laugh at her expression, rewarding him with a light hit on his arm. He pulls Specs in for a hug, kissing the top of her head before leading her to her couch. Dinner is delicious and when they've both finished, Ryan grabs the empty boxes and takes them into the kitchen. Specs calls out about not doing it but Ryan just smiles and sits back on the couch. He can sense Specs is looking at him so he looks at her. She has an expression on her face that he can't quite work out so he shrugs, hoping that will get him an answer. Instead, Specs grabs the blanket off the back of the couch and drapes it over the both of them, leaning onto Ryan's shoulder. Ryan lifts his arm and places it behind Specs, his hand landing on her waist which he strokes with his thumb. He can't help but beam on the inside, this was perfect for him. Ryan had no clue what the film was about because he was too busy enjoying the moment he was in with Specs. Before he knew it, he was waking up in a silent room. He shifts a little and a murmur startles him. A weight on his left side reminds him of a sleeping Specs. Ryan manoeuvred himself in a way that gets him off the couch without waking Specs up. He picks her up in a wedding carry and takes her to her bedroom, placing her under the covers. She looks so beautiful sleeping and Ryan wished someday he would be able wake up to the sight of her sleeping beside him. He gently kissed her forehead then settled himself on the couch for the night.

  
It's 7am when Ryan wakes. It takes him a few moments to remember where he is. This wasn't what he envisioned when he thought about staying over at Specs' place for the first time. Ryan peeks into Specs' bedroom to see she is still sleeping then heads to the kitchen. She hasn't got much in the fridge but Ryan can work with that. Putting on some music to cook to, Ryan sets about cooking Specs breakfast. He's so in the moment that he doesn't notice her stood in the doorway, staring at him. There's a beat in the music and Ryan spins to it, stopping when he finally sees her. Shit, she caught him dancing. It's all over now. Her faces breaks into her gorgeous smile and Ryan takes comfort in it.  
"No, please don't stop on my account. I was enjoying you dancing since I didn't get a chance to see you in action on Friday."  
"Shut up Specs. I was going to surprise you but I guess that's out the window. Good morning by the way."  
"Good morning to you Mr Haywood. I appreciate the gesture, it's very thoughtful of you. Did you sleep okay? I assume you carried me to bed last night so thank you for doing that, though you could have just left me on the couch."  
"I could have but then where would I have slept? It's no problem, you were out of it anyway. I slept great, how about you?"  
"Yeah I slept pretty well." She reaches over to take a bacon strip off a plate but Ryan playfully slaps her hand away. She jumps back and clutches her hand, making Ryan laugh. Over breakfast, she asks Ryan about his weekend and he tells her about the GTA map. When he asks her, she reveals she met up with the guy from the club. It's like a knife to the heart for Ryan. He had hoped so much that she would never see the guy again but now it appears it may become something. She tells him about the guy being weirded out by Ryan's jacket and Ryan gives a half hearted laugh. When he quizzes her about her plans for today, she becomes very allusive. She won't tell him anything about it, just that it's not another date with the guy. Ryan is relieved but is still curious why she won't tell him what she's doing. It's clear she's getting annoyed over his constant questioning and not letting it go. Things feel awkward now and Ryan decides to head out, get changed then go on his drive. He gives Specs a long hug, his way of apologising for upsetting her and as he leaves she squeezes his hand.

  
These drives that Ryan goes on are so calming and soothing. It's a way of de-stressing before having to return to work and deal with the things Gavin will do during the week to piss him off. Because of everything that's happened this weekend, Ryan decides to take a longer drive then usual. His longer route takes him over a hill that has a view of the entire city though Ryan has never stopped to take a look. It's around 2 when he's driving over the hill. He glances towards the car park then does a double take, swings his car around and goes back to the car park. Ryan has spotted Geoff's car so he gives him a call to ask where he is. Geoff informs Ryan that Specs borrows his car on Sundays so where ever he is is probably where Specs is. His heart beats a little faster. So this is where she was going, why didn't she want to tell him? He calls her up but she is less than happy that he's here. She tells him that he should have trusted her and he apologises. He never wanted to upset her and when she hangs up, he feels terrible. Ryan begins to head off but decides to see if he can stumble across her. Heading down the hill, he comes to a clearing with a single bench. When he looks up, he's speechless. The view of the city is stunning, this must be what she can see also. He looks around and when he doesn't see anyone else, he calls Specs again but gets no answer. His phone buzzes and it's a text from her, telling him to stop looking for her and to enjoy the view. Ryan looks around, knowing she can see him but gives up and sits on the bench, taking in the view. He sits there for 20 minutes then heads back to his car and drives home, hoping things at work tomorrow won't be awkward between the two of them.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
AH_Specs

The best part of Ryan's work day is seeing Specs the second he steps into the office and his worse part is when he says bye to her at the end of the day. She makes him want to come into work that little bit earlier, just to spend more time with her. He makes the most of it since the guy at the club turned into Eric the businessman, boyfriend and time consumer to the woman Ryan loved. She's been a good influence for the entire office, breathing youth and injecting humor into their office lives outside of recordings as well as in videos. He'll never forget the time she called him up one time he was running late and used his last name against him like they all do. But when she does it, it gives him butterflies. That same day he walked into a silent office and as he made his way over to his desk, found Specs on all fours under his desk. His stare at her ass was broken by a remark Gavin made and caused Specs to discover his obvious checking out which resulted in getting him killed at the end of the GTA heist the same day. It was worth it though.

She never fails to take Ryan's breath away. It was her versus against Michael and she had told him to bring in his GTA outfit from the poster shoot. She hadn't been at the company then but she had it framed and signed on her wall. When she revealed her challenge to be driving actual cars around a race track, Ryan thought she was just trying to be one of the guys and impress them. And when Michael was driving round, the gents had teased her about not being able to beat him which she had just shrugged off. However when she stepped out of the building in her GTA outfit and walked towards them, Ryan found himself speechless and questioning if she was about to pull the greatest trick on them. She slaughter Michael in versus and Ryan felt a small amount of pride over the way she drove the car. She's quite an impressive person and Ryan wished more than anything she could be his. Why did she have to be Eric's? Why did that asshole not see what he had and why did he have to mistrust her? Leaving a god damn hickey on her neck to prove to the guys that she belonged to him, what was he 12? What hurt Ryan the most was the day Eric broke Specs' heart. She'd become distracted halfway through a GTA let's play and afterwards told Geoff she'd gotten a message from Eric saying to call him asap. Geoff had already announced a 10 minute break so Ryan had headed outside to get some fresh air and stretch his legs. As he was heading back into the office, Specs has bumped into him with some force. She was crying and a million thoughts ran through Ryan's head. She had begun heading for the outside door when Ryan had grabbed her by the shoulders to find out exactly what was going on. But before he knew it, the guys were by the office door and Specs was stepping out of his hold to turn and run outside. Michael and Gavin had gone after her, Geoff and Jack speed walking behind them. Ryan was stunned by the previous 20 seconds but decided to go after her as well. He made it outside just in time to see her speeding out of the parking lot with the lads running after her. In that moment Ryan knew what had happened and just hoped that she got home safely.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
She's mine tonight

It's been 2 months since Specs' breakup and the guys have convinced her to go out to tonight's social event. Ryan is her ride for tonight so he decides to buy some flowers as a nice gesture. Arriving at her apartment early, he takes a moment to straighten his jacket and taking a deep breath, knocks on her door. As the door opens, so does Ryan's mouth. She is just utterly breath-taking, wearing a blue knee length dress with black pumps. He must of zoned out because a click of fingers snaps him out of his daydreaming and that gorgeous smile is on Specs' face. Ryan blushes, he really must stop getting caught staring at her.  
"I'm so sorry. I must be at the wrong apartment again. See we met a few years ago in a similar fashion. I came here to pick up my friend for a social event and instead I found you. It appears we meet again, how have you been these past few years?"  
"I've been good and I've looked forward to seeing you again. Would you care to come inside?"  
"I'm not sure my friend would approve but when have I followed the rules?"  
"That is very true."  
She steps aside to allow Ryan in. He hands her the flowers and smiling, she heads off to find a vase for them. After a bit of small talk, the two head off. Ryan lends his hand to help Specs out of his car and when she doesn't let go, he leads her into the warehouse where the social event is already in full swing. Everyone is glad to see Specs out again and before he knows it, the girls are dragging her onto the dance floor. All Ryan can do it stand on the sidelines and watch the girl he loves laugh and look carefree, like the past 2 months of her life haven't been hell for her. The night goes on and Ryan spends it talking to the guys at various times. Jack comes to stand next to him slightly out of breath and before he has time to ask anything, a hand is leading his away. Specs has dragged Ryan onto the dance floor, knowing Ryan doesn't dance. He just stands there looking out of place so Specs picks up his arms and sways them side to side. Ryan doesn't allow his body to move so Specs places her hands on his hips. He slightly jumps under her touch and his body takes over, even after she's let go. She begins laughing so Ryan exaggerates his moves, making her laugh even more. His heart swells and he can't stop the face splitting grin he has on his face as he moves closer to Specs. Ryan places his hands on her hips and as she wraps her arms around his neck, he joins his hands behind her back. He looks into Specs eyes, her beautiful eyes that he could spend eternity looking into and slowly the music and people fade away leaving just the two of them in the room. Ryan glances at Specs' lips then back to her eyes, noticing her mirroring his actions. He wants to kiss her and by the looks of things, she wants the same. They move their heads closer at the same time but just before anything can begin, the music and people burst back to life. Their friends have joined them on the dance floor. To save the moment for both of them, Ryan kisses Specs' forehead then resumes dancing which makes Specs laugh and join in. Not a totally ruined moment.

It's early in the morning but the event shows no signs of slowing down. Ryan is stood talking to Meg and Lindsay but he's not really listening to what they're saying. He's too busy stealing glances at the woman to his left, lost in conversation with Michael and Gavin. He hears his name being called and looks to see Meg and Lindsay smiling at him.  
“You're pretty smitten with her aren't you?” Lindsay says, softly.  
“What gave it away?”  
“Hmmm, the fact you can't stop staring at her and your almost kiss earlier. Don't think we didn't notice.” Meg teases. Ryan looks back at Specs.  
“I can't help it. I'm in love with her and have been since the day I met her.”  
“Well then go get her. She's not with anyone. What's stopping you?” Ryan looks back at the girls and thinks a little. What IS stopping him? His answer appears 10 feet behind Specs. Eric the douche has crashed the social event. The music stops and all eyes are on Specs. Ryan tenses. He swore if he ever saw that dirt bag again, he would hurt him like he hurt Specs.  
"You've got some fucking nerve being here after what you've done." Michael half shouts.  
"I did nothing but tell the truth. So are you the one she's been fucking? I would say she could do better but by the looks of you all, I'd say you're all as bad as each other." Michael goes to hit Eric but Jack pulls Michael back before anything happens. Unfortunately no one was looking at Ryan so he walks straight up to Eric and with all the anger he had towards the guy, punches Eric as hard as he can in the jaw. Geoff's arms are instantly dragging Ryan backwards. Ryan struggles a little but after seeing Eric's bloody mouth, he allows Geoff to pull him back to a safe point. Eric continues belittling Specs and everything about her life. Ryan couldn't believe that Specs was ever with a guy like that but after tonight, he was so god damn proud of the way Specs handled the situation that her past didn't matter. She stood up for herself, her job and her friends whilst tearing Eric down in a dignified way. He manages to hurl one last insult before leaving the warehouse. Specs follows him out to finish up their conversation. The room descends into different discussions about what just happened and the guys discuss how proud they were of Specs. Ryan is just stood quietly out of the way, staring at the door Specs left through when Lindsay nudges him in the side. He looks at her and she tell him to go get her. Ryan smiles, kisses Lindsay cheek and heads up the stairs and out the building. Once outside, he looks around and sees Specs stood with Eric by his car. 'Please don't go home with him, please don't go home with him' is all Ryan can think. It fails to work as Specs gets into Eric's car and drives away. Ryan can feel the pain in his heart and knows he has to go after them. Running to his car, he writes a quick text to Lindsay explaining what his doing then heads off to Specs' house on a hunch that's where they're going. Sure enough, Eric's car is parked outside and the lights are on in Specs' apartment. Ryan decides to sit and wait awhile, turning the car radio on to fill the silence. He has to know if Eric stays the night or not. Because if he does, there's a strong chance Specs will get back together with him then Ryan will have no chance with her. It took so much to get her over that sleaze once but he'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant he got to see Specs happy. Ryan didn't have to wait long. About 15 minutes after he arrived, Ryan spots Eric heading for his car. He notes how there's something off about his clothing and a low feeling settles itself in Ryan's stomach. They slept together. It's game over. Right at that moment, a slow, love song begins playing on the radio about asking someone how they would feel if they told them they loved them. Ryan turns up the radio a little louder and begins listening while staring up at Specs' window. She's turned the light off and is probably sleeping. It begins raining outside and Ryan's vision becomes blurry. He blinks and tears roll down his face. As he let's the emotion take hold of him, Ryan promises himself that he has to tell Specs how he feels. Because he's tired of being hurt by watching her be with someone else, being hurt by someone who doesn't deserve her. And as the rain becomes heavier, Ryan cries in his car over a woman that has no idea how much he truly loves her. Oh how differently this night could have gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologises for the very late update. I was in the middle of writing this chapter and the next one and suddenly life took off! I made it my mission at the beginning of this year to sit down and finish what I started and well, here we are! Thanks to those for sticking with it, it's a nice feeling to see people wanting more :D
> 
> P.S. The song that comes on the radio is Ed Sheeran - How would you feel. Have a listen to it while reading the final bit of the chapter, that's what I was doing while writing it.


	14. All's well that ends well!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dress: https://cdn1.thehunt.com/app/public/system/note_images/3417293/note_preview/99279af5585b423cb591b9083a7c6ca0.jpg

You're stunned. How could you have been that oblivious? Of course there was after the first social event where you kissed and how you questioned the way you felt about him afterwards but you had passed that off as nothing more than an accident. Then there was the day after when Ryan came over with dinner and you fell asleep together on the sofa. The morning after where he cooked you breakfast and didn't make the night before weird. There was the office banter about you being able to fix pcs quicker than Ryan could. Him being there for you after the first break up. Your almost kiss at the last social. The dancing. Him punching Eric in your defence. It hit you all like a wrecking ball to the stomach. Ryan had fallen for you and not said anything. You look at him and see him looking back with an expectant face. It was almost as if you were seeing him again for the first time. His thick sandy blonde hair, his gorgeous blue eyes, his luscious beard, his smile that melted your heart. Holy shit, you liked Ryan. You finally figured it out, these past few years you had questioned how you felt about him but after everything that's happened, you had an answer. A small smile creeps over your mouth. Ryan looks confused as hell and it's adorable. You decide how you're going to play this.  
"So you've felt like this all years?"  
"Yes."  
"And you never told me? Why?"  
"Well we just clicked. But we clicked so well that I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship. I'd much rather we be friends and have wishful thinking than us not work out and never speak again. I don't want to lose you."  
"But you've told me how you feel now. So it's past the point of return."  
"Uh huh. That's what I'm afraid of."  
"What makes you think I'll let you be the best thing in my life Ryan? What makes you think I'll believe all the things you said?" You answer floors Ryan. He's scrambling for the words to say but nothing's happening. You've got him. How could you not let him be the best thing in your life when he already is. He always was, you just didn't know it. You smile and place your hands on either side of his face. Before he can say anything, you pull him in for a long kiss. He pulls back a few seconds into the kiss but that's only to check your facial expression. You have a giant smile on your face which he mirrors before placing his hands on your face and pulling you in for a kiss. He caresses your face while he kisses you. His lips are soft and his kisses are gentle. You could stay like this for eternity. The kiss ends and you place your foreheads together, allowing your breathing to slow. Both of you have big smiles on your faces.  
"So what does this mean?"  
"Well Ryan, I think it means we're together now. That okay with you?"  
"It's more than okay with me." You both smile at each other. Ryan puts his arm around you and kisses the side of your head. You lean onto his chest and both just stare out at the city.  
  
Eventually you make your way back to the office. Ryan hangs back a little, sorting something out in his car. The guys rush over to you as soon as you enter the room to make sure you were okay. You hug them all individually and thank them for being there for you. Geoff asks where Ryan is just as he steps into the room. You can't help but smile at him and he walks over to you, placing his arm around your waist. The guys share looks of confusion. Ryan rolls his eyes and pulls you in for a kiss. It takes you by surprise but you relax into it. When you break away, the guys are all smiling then call out a mixture of 'Finally', 'About time', 'Thank fuck for that' and 'Get a room'. You couldn't help but laugh, they had known Ryan liked you but said nothing. Or had they? Geoff pushed for Ryan to pick you up for social events, Gavin's comment when you were fixing Ryan's desk. You really couldn't believe how oblivious you had been.  
  
The rest of the day goes smoothly. You manage to film 2 videos then decide to call it a day. To celebrate your new relationship, the whole Achievement Hunter crew are going out to a bar. You pick a blue dress, one of the new ones you had bought. Make up is subtle and your hair is in a high ponytail. You pick some dark blue pumps to match the dress. There's a knock at your door only this time it gives you butterflies because you know who it is. You open the door and there stands Ryan, dressed similarly to the night of the first social. He gazes at you and smiles, you doing the same.  
"Honestly, we have to stop meeting like this. Last two times I was here, I was here to meet my friend and you were here instead. This time however, I'm here to see my girlfriend. And luckily she's been the one who's answered the door every single time. It's good to see you again, officially this time."  
"Well it's good to see you too Mr Haywood. Would you like to come in, I have something to show you?"  
"Of course. Lead the way, dear." You bite your lip and smile, stepping back to let Ryan in. He turns to close the door behind him and when he turns back, you pounce on him. It takes him by surprise but his hands relax on your lower back and pull you closer to him. He slips his tongue into your mouth and you break the kiss.  
"Ryan!"  
"What?"  
"We're never going to leave the apartment if you do stuff like that." You poke your tongue out cheekily. Ryan physically relaxes.  
"Jesus, I thought I'd done something wrong. But would it be such a bad thing to not leave the apartment?"  
You raise your eyebrow quizzically. This side of Ryan is quite sexy and you love it. However you have only been officially a couple for less than a day, do you really want to jump straight into bed with the guy? On the other hand, he's been your best friend for 4 years so it's not exactly like you're starting off as strangers. And you can't deny that when you first started working at Achievement Hunter you didn't have thoughts about you and Ryan ending up together.  
"But what about meeting the others? After all this is to celebrate us becoming a couple, would be awkward if we didn't show."  
"You make a valid point. However, I haven't exactly celebrated us becoming a couple and believe me I've been waiting for this. So what if we don't make it out, they're going to make comments  regardless. Might as well give them something to talk about."  
"You're a very bad man Mr Haywood. Is this how you win women over?" You say as you slowly and seductively walk over to Ryan, stopping short of your bodies touching. Ryan takes in a deep breath, you can tell it's to steady himself.  
"There's only 1 woman I intend to win over. And she's stood dangerously close."  
"And what do you intend to do with me once you've won me over, James?" You linger over his name. Not once have you called him James and in the heat of the moment, you try it now hoping it doesn't kill the mood. It works in your favour as Ryan swallows thickly. You find your eyes are drawn to his mouth but you want to win this silent game of who can hold out the longest.  
"Oh, very bad things Miss (Y/L/N)." The sound of his voice speaking your last name sends shivers down your spine. Okay, maybe this isn't such an easy game to play.  
"Well maybe you can do these bad things to me once we get back from the bar."

You lean around him to grab your bag off the back of the sofa and accidental brush against his torso. Game over. Your bodies touching was enough to send you both over the edge. Ryan grabs your face and pulls it to his. You place your hands on Ryan's waist and allow him to take charge. His tongue slips into you mouth and this time you don't pull away. Because you know where this is going and aren't going to stop it. Ryan pushes you against the nearest wall roughly, moving his mouth to your neck. You grab his hair and allow a moan to escape from your mouth. He grins against your skin then gently bites it. Your other hand grips his shoulder and a whisper of his name leaves your lips. Ryan bends to grab your thighs and lifts you up, carrying you towards your bedroom and returning to your mouth. He puts you down in your bedroom and spins you so you're facing away from him. You feel the zipper of your dress running down your spine and in it's place, soft kisses. This is so god damn sexy, you wonder what you ever did to deserve this man. You move out of dress that's pooled at your feet and slowly turn to face Ryan, still wearing your heels but only a thong. He's biting his lip and raking his hungry eyes over your topless body. You take a step towards him and,never leaving his eyes, push his jacket off his shoulders and begin to undo his shirt. As you undo a button, you replace it with a kiss just like Ryan did. Ryan's breathing increases and it's such a turn on. Once you've opened his shirt you take a step back to admire the sight, crossing an arm over your chest. The other arm rests on the first and placing your thumb on your lip, you take in the sex god that stands before you. Ryan with roughed up hair, lips slightly parted, shirt open exposing his slightly toned torso and his eyes locked with yours.  
“Like what you see?”  
“I could stand here all day with the way you look right now. It's so fucking sexy.”  
“Well, in that case...” Ryan pushes his shirt off his shoulders then runs a hand through his hair. His hands slowly make their way to his pants, undoing them and allowing them to fall to the floor. He steps out of them and takes a step towards you then kneels just in front of you. You look down at him and he returns your gaze. Ryan places his hands on your hips and pulls your thong down your legs then his mouth is straight on your sweet spot. Your head tips back, your mouth opens with a gasp and your hands fist in Ryan's hair. His tongue flicks over your clit and your hold tightens in Ryan's hair. Holy everything this feels good. Soon your legs begin to weaken and you're not sure for how much longer you can stand for. You whisper Ryan's name a few times and when he doesn't respond, you pull his head back to stop him. He looks confused but as you lay on your bed seductively, his expression changes and slipping out of his underwear, he climbs on top. You place your hand on the back of his neck and pull him back to your mouth. The kisses become hot and heavy and moans from both of you become louder. You grab a condom from your bedside draw and hand it to Ryan who puts it on. He steadies himself near your entrance and taking one last look to reassure himself, slides slowly into you. Loud moans escape from both of you as you tip your head back. Ryan begins to pick up the pace and kisses your neck, biting harder than earlier. Since you secretly like it rough, it turns you on more and you claw Ryan's back with your nails. His moan from it sends you into overdrive and you find yourself telling him to fuck you harder. He sits up, grabbing your hips for extra grip and your wish is his command. You hold onto the headboard behind you whilst tipping your head back, holding nothing back with your moans. Ryan tells you he's close and before you know it, you're both screaming the others name and seeing stars. Ryan leans down to kiss you sweetly then pulls out and disposes of the condom, climbing back into your bed and holding you to his chest. You hear his rapid heartbeat slow along with both of your breathes. After a few moments of silence, Ryan kisses your forehead.  
“I never figured you'd be the rough type when it came to sex, that was quite a surprise.” You giggle.  
“A nice surprise though?”  
“Oh definitely. If that's your style, I know better positions to fuck you in.”  
“Oh really Mr Haywood? You'll have to show me.”  
“Happily. But right now I just want to live in this moment with you.”  
  
And that's exactly what you do for the rest of the evening. You discuss sex preferences, not going out that evening, what happened earlier in the day and a whole bunch of other things. Of course Ryan was right, when you went to work the next day they totally teased you for not making it out to celebrate. When they needed Ryan to model a new achievement hunter shirt, he removed his current one to reveal scratch marks all down his back. Gavin exclaimed 'Bloody hell' which drew the entire room to Ryan's back. All the guys looked at you and Michael called you savage. You couldn't do anything apart from smile and shrug your shoulders, glancing at Ryan and receiving a wink.  
  
Your life's pretty amazing. You live in a nice city, have in your opinion the best job in the world and a dark god for a boyfriend. Austin, Texas. Home to Rooster Teeth. Working for Achievement Hunter. Getting to work everyday with the best people in your life, people who you never knew you would come to care so much about. Being in a place where being yourself is encouraged and fakeness is quickly kicked to the curb. Ryan, your best friend who became the love of your life and the best thing in it by your side everyday.

 

  
Yeah, your life is pretty amazing.  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has and will read this. I apologise for not keeping to time but when life picks up, you have to run with it. I enjoyed writing this and I hope to write more in the future.
> 
> Also Happy 14th Birthday to RT today!


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